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Crusader Occupation of Damietta
After Damietta fell in November 1219, the Fifth Crusade militarily occupied and administered the city as an expedition base until being forced to aba…
Timeline
- 1219–1220Damietta · DamiettaAfter entering the city the Crusaders quickly took over Damietta's harbor, warehouses, and defenses, garrisoning infantry and knights and repairing walls damaged in the siege. Legate Pelagius regarded the city as a forward base granted by God and refused al-Kamil's offer to exchange it for Jerusalem.
- 1220Damietta · DamiettaIn the second year of occupation the Crusaders received partial reinforcements from Europe; Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, though not campaigning in person, promised support. Church administration and military rule were maintained in the city, the Crusaders used Damietta as a hub to control Nile navigation, and began planning a further advance toward Cairo. The friar Francis also met al-Kamil during this period.
- 1221Damietta · DamiettaIn 1221 the Crusaders set out from Damietta to attack Mansurah but suffered a crushing defeat, being forced to retreat and abandon Damietta and evacuate Egypt according to the terms proposed by al-Kamil. The Fifth Crusade's occupation of the city thus ended, lasting about twenty-one months.
Sources
- Anatomy of a Crusade, 1213-1221 — James M. Powell (1986)
- Francis of Assisi: A New Biography — Augustine Thompson (2012)