Eighth Crusade (1270). Crusades Eighth Crusade map

The history of mankind is, unfortunately, not always a world of discoveries and achievements, but often a chain of a myriad of wars. These include those committed from the XI to the XIII century. This article will help you understand the reasons and reasons, as well as trace the chronology. Attached to it is a table compiled on the topic of "Crusades" containing the most important dates, names and events.

Definition of the concepts of "crusade" and "crusader"

The Crusade is an armed offensive by the Christian army against the Muslim East, which lasted for a total of about 200 years (1096-1270) and was expressed in no less than eight organized actions of troops from Western European countries. In a later period, this was the name of any military campaign with the aim of converting to Christianity and expanding the influence of the medieval Catholic Church.

The crusader is a participant in such a campaign. On his right shoulder he had a patch in the form of the same image was applied to the helmet and flags.

Reasons, reasons, goals of trips

Military demonstrations were organized. The formal reason was the fight against Muslims in order to free the Holy Sepulcher, located in the Holy Land (Palestine). In the modern sense, this territory includes states such as Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Gaza, Jordan and a number of others.

Nobody doubted the success. At that time, it was believed that everyone who becomes a crusader will receive the remission of all sins. Therefore, joining these ranks was popular with both knights and city dwellers and peasants. The latter, in exchange for participation in the crusade, received liberation from serfdom. In addition, for the European kings, the crusade was an opportunity to get rid of powerful feudal lords, whose power grew as their holdings increased. Wealthy merchants and townspeople saw economic opportunity in military conquest. And the highest clergy themselves, led by the popes, viewed the crusades as a way to strengthen the power of the church.

The beginning and end of the era of the crusaders

The 1st Crusade began on August 15, 1096, when an unorganized crowd of 50,000 peasants and urban poor went on a campaign without supplies or preparation. They were mainly engaged in looting (since they considered themselves the warriors of God, who owns everything in this world) and attacked the Jews (who were considered the descendants of the killers of Christ). But within a year, this army was destroyed by the Hungarians who met along the way, and then by the Turks. Well-trained knights followed the crowd of the poor on the crusade. By 1099, they reached Jerusalem, capturing the city and killing a large number of residents. These events and the formation of a territory called the Kingdom of Jerusalem ended the active period of the first campaign. Further conquests (until 1101) were aimed at strengthening the conquered borders.

The last crusade (eighth) began on June 18, 1270 with the landing of the army of the French ruler Louis IX in Tunisia. However, this performance ended unsuccessfully: even before the start of the battles, the king died of a pestilence, which forced the crusaders to return home. During this period, the influence of Christianity in Palestine was minimal, while Muslims, on the contrary, strengthened their positions. As a result, they captured the city of Acra, which put an end to the era of the Crusades.

1st-4th crusades (table)

The years of the crusades

Leaders and / or major events

1 crusade

Duke Gottfried of Bouillon, Duke Robert of Normandy and others.

The capture of the cities of Nicaea, Edessa, Jerusalem, etc.

Proclamation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem

2nd crusade

Louis VII, King of Germany Conrad III

The defeat of the crusaders, the surrender of Jerusalem to the army of the Egyptian ruler Salah ad-Din

3rd crusade

King of Germany and Empire Frederick I Barbarossa, French King Philip II and English King Richard I the Lionheart

The conclusion of an agreement by Richard I with Salah ad-Din (disadvantageous for Christians)

4th crusade

Division of Byzantine lands

5-8th crusades (table)

The years of the crusades

Leaders and major events

5th crusade

Duke of Austria Leopold VI, King of Hungary Andras II and others.

Trekking to Palestine and Egypt.

Failure of offensive in Egypt and negotiations on Jerusalem due to lack of unity in leadership

6th crusade

German king and emperor Frederick II Staufen

The capture of Jerusalem by treaty with the Egyptian sultan

In 1244, the city again passed into the hands of Muslims.

7th crusade

French King Louis IX Saint

Hike to Egypt

The defeat of the crusaders, the capture of the king, followed by ransom and return home

8th crusade

Louis IX Saint

Curtailment of the campaign due to the epidemic and the death of the king

Outcomes

How successful were the numerous crusades, the table clearly demonstrates. Among historians there is no unequivocal opinion about how these events influenced the life of Western European peoples.

Some experts believe that the Crusades opened the way to the East, establishing new economic and cultural ties. Others point out that it could have been done more successfully through peaceful means. Moreover, the last crusade ended in outright defeat.

One way or another, significant changes have taken place in Western Europe itself: an increase in the influence of the popes, as well as the power of kings; the impoverishment of the nobility and the rise of urban communities; the emergence of a class of free farmers from the former serfs who received freedom through participation in the crusades.

Losses
unknown unknown
Crusades
1st crusade
Peasant crusade
German crusade
Norwegian Crusade
Rearguard Crusade
2nd crusade
3rd crusade
4th crusade
Albigensian crusade
Children's crusade
5th crusade
6th crusade
7th crusade
Crusades of the Shepherds
8th crusade
9th crusade
Northern crusades
Crusades against the Hussites
Crusade to Varna

Eighth crusade was originally purely French and began in the summer of 1270 under the command of Louis IX.

The Eighth Crusade is famous for being the last major European invasion of Arab lands. The nobles no longer wanted to sell their property in order to go to the distant deserts. For the first time, the leader of a crusade had to bear the full expenses and pay the salaries of the knights.

On July 14, French ships reached the coast of ancient Carthage. Having landed, the crusaders captured a tower guarded by the Moors, set up a camp nearby and began to prepare for the siege of Tunisia. The French ate salty meat, they were tormented by hunger and thirst. Outbreaks of fever and dysentery occurred in the camp. The young prince John Tristan died. Soon Louis IX also fell ill. He commanded to pray for him, he gave instructions to his heir Philip. Some time later, Louis IX died.

Soon the King of Sicily, Charles I of Anjou, arrived in Africa. He brought with him a large army of soldiers of the cross. French and Sicilian troops jointly drove the Moors back and approached the city. The ruler of Tunisia, frightened, sent ambassadors to the crusader camp.

An armistice was signed on October 31st. Tunisia pledged to pay tribute to the King of Sicily. Also, Christian priests were allowed to settle in it and conduct sermons in local churches. On the way back, the crusaders faced a sea storm. Four thousand soldiers died, including the king's brother. Philip III the Bold went to France. On the way home, the young queen also died. The saddened monarch was taking home the remains of his father, brother and wife.

The son of the English king Henry III - Edward tried to continue the campaign in Palestine. Some historians distinguish it as a separate crusade. He successfully moved forward, but soon wished to return to Akra to convert the local emir to Christianity. The emir sent an ambassador to Edward, who turned out to be a murderer. He found the prince alone in the room and rushed at him with a dagger. Wounded in the head and arm, Edward still defeated the envoy.

After a while, Calaun, the successor of Baybars, went to war against the Christian Tripoli, Laodicea and Acre. Soon all the cities were taken, and Christians were expelled from the Holy Land.

Write a review on the article "The Eighth Crusade"

Literature

  • Palmer A. Throop.// Speculum, Vol. 13, No. 4. (Oct., 1938), pp 379-412.
  • Bruce Beebe. The English Baronage and the Crusade of 1270 // Bulletin of the Institute of Historical Research, vol. xlviii (118), November 1975, pp. 127-148.

Excerpt from the Eighth Crusade

- A! what's this? - said Napoleon, noticing that all the courtiers were looking at something covered with a veil. The boss, with court dexterity, without showing his back, took a half-turn two steps back and at the same time pulled off the veil and said:
“A present for your Majesty from the Empress.
It was a portrait painted in bright colors by Gerard of a boy born of Napoleon and the daughter of the Austrian emperor, whom for some reason everyone called the king of Rome.
A very handsome curly-haired boy, with a look similar to that of Christ in the Sistine Madonna, was depicted playing a bilbock. The globe represented the globe, and the wand in the other hand represented the scepter.
Although it was not entirely clear what exactly the painter wanted to express, presenting the so-called King of Rome with a stick piercing the globe, but this allegory, just like everyone who saw the picture in Paris, and Napoleon, obviously, seemed clear and liked it very much.
“Roi de Rome, [King of Rome],” he said, gesturing gracefully towards the portrait. - Admirable! [Wonderful!] - With the ability of the Italians to change the arbitrary expression of a face, he approached the portrait and pretended to be pensive tenderness. He felt that what he would say and do now is history. And it seemed to him that the best thing he could do now was that he, with his greatness, as a result of which his son played with the globe in the bilbock, so that he would show, in contrast to this greatness, the simplest fatherly tenderness. His eyes were misty, he moved, looked back at the chair (the chair jumped under him) and sat down on it opposite the portrait. One gesture of him - and everyone tiptoed out, leaving to himself and his feeling of a great man.
After sitting for a while and touching, without knowing why, with his hand to the roughness of the portrait's glare, he got up and again called for Boss and the attendant. He ordered that the portrait be brought out in front of the tent, so as not to deprive the old guard, who was standing near his tent, of the happiness of seeing the Roman king, the son and heir of their adored sovereign.
As he expected, while he was having breakfast with Monsieur Bosse, who had been honored with this honor, in front of the tent were heard the enthusiastic shouts of officers and soldiers of the old guard who had rushed to the portrait.
- Vive l "Empereur! Vive le Roi de Rome! Vive l" Empereur! [Long live the emperor! Long live the Roman king!] - enthusiastic voices were heard.
After breakfast, Napoleon, in the presence of Beausse, dictated his orders for the army.
- Courte et energique! [Short and energetic!] - said Napoleon when he read the written proclamation without any corrections. The order read:
“Warriors! This is the battle you have desired so much. Victory depends on you. It is necessary for us; she will provide us with everything we need: comfortable apartments and a quick return to the fatherland. Act as you did at Austerlitz, Friedland, Vitebsk and Smolensk. Let the later offspring proudly remember your exploits on this day. Let it be said about each of you: he was in the great battle near Moscow! "
- De la Moskowa! [Near Moscow!] - Napoleon repeated, and inviting Monsieur Bosse, who loved to travel, to his walk, he left the tent to the saddled horses.
- Votre Majeste a trop de bonte, [You are too kind, your majesty,] - said Boss to the invitation to accompany the emperor: he wanted to sleep and he did not know how and was afraid to ride a horse.
But Napoleon nodded his head to the traveler, and Boss had to go. When Napoleon left the tent, the shouts of the guards in front of the portrait of his son intensified even more. Napoleon frowned.

The Encyclopedia of Richard Ernest and Trevor Nevitt Dupuis is a comprehensive reference book showing the evolution of the art of war from Antiquity to the present day. In one volume, a wealth of material is collected and systematized: a colossal volume of archival documents, rare maps, summaries of statistical data, excerpts from scientific works and detailed descriptions of the greatest battles.

For the convenience of using the encyclopedia, the history of mankind is conditionally divided into twenty-two chapters, each of which is devoted to a time period from the 4th millennium BC to the end of the 20th century. The essays preceding the chapters contain information about the principles of tactics and strategy of a particular period, the characteristics of weapons, the development of military-theoretical thought and the outstanding military leaders of the era. The encyclopedia contains two indexes: the names mentioned in the text, as well as wars and significant armed conflicts. All this will help the reader to recreate and perceive the historical canvas as a whole, to understand the reasons for this or that war, to trace its course and evaluate the actions of the commanders.

/ / / / /

Eighth Crusade 1270

Eighth Crusade

The last Crusade was again led by Louis IX. The Dominican monks convinced the French king that the emir of Tunisia allegedly displays a penchant for Christianity, which makes it possible to acquire in his person a strong ally in the fight against the Egyptian sultan. The call of Louis IX to go to the Holy Land was answered by his brother, Charles of Anjou, sovereign of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and his three sons. Having landed in Tunisia, the crusaders found that they could not count on a warm welcome. The Muslims of Tunisia not only did not express their readiness to become Christians, but showed fierce resistance. The crusaders laid siege to the fortress of Tunis, behind the walls of which the emir took refuge with his forces. The long siege did not lead to anything, an epidemic of plague broke out in the crusader camp, from which the king and all his family died, with the exception of the eldest son Philip. When the fleet of Charles of Anjou sailed to the shores of Tunisia, Louis IX was no longer alive. After the death of his brother, Karl assumed command of the army and began negotiations with the beleaguered emir. Soon an agreement was concluded, according to the terms of which the emir was obliged to pay tribute to France and Sicily, and in double the amount, as well as to reimburse military costs.

The Crusades, which lasted from 1096 to 1272, are an important part of the Middle Ages taught in a 6th grade history course. These were military-colonial wars in the countries of the Middle East under the religious slogans of the struggle of Christians against "infidels", that is, Muslims. It is not easy to speak briefly about the crusades, since only the most important ones are distinguished by eight.

Reasons and reason for the crusades

Palestine, which belonged to Byzantium, was conquered by the Arabs in 637. It has become a place of pilgrimage for both Christians and Muslims. The situation changed with the arrival of the Seljuk Turks. In 1071 they interrupted the pilgrimage routes. The Byzantine emperor Alexei Komnenos appealed to the West for help in 1095. This was the reason for organizing the campaign.

The reasons that prompted people to participate in a dangerous event were:

  • the desire of the Catholic Church to expand its influence in the East and increase wealth;
  • the desire of monarchs and nobles to expand their territories;
  • peasants' hopes for land and freedom;
  • the desire of merchants to establish new trade relations with the countries of the East;
  • religious upsurge.

In 1095, at the Clermont Cathedral, Pope Urban II called for the liberation of the holy lands from the yoke of the Saracens (Arabs and Seljuk Turks). Many knights immediately accepted the cross and declared themselves warlike pilgrims. Later, the leaders of the campaign were determined.

Rice. 1. Call of Pope Urban II to the crusaders.

Participants of the crusades

In the crusades, a group of main participants can be distinguished:

TOP-4 articleswho read along with this

  • large feudal lords;
  • petty European knights;
  • merchants;
  • bourgeois artisans;
  • peasants.

The name "crusades" comes from the images of the cross sewn onto the clothes of the participants.

The first echelon of the crusaders was made up of the poor, led by the preacher Peter of Amiens. In 1096 they arrived in Constantinople and, without waiting for the knights, crossed over to Asia Minor. The consequences were dire. The poorly armed and untrained peasant militia was easily defeated by the Turks.

The beginning of the crusades

There were several Crusades aimed at Muslim countries. The first crusaders set out in the summer of 1096. In the spring of 1097 they crossed into Asia Minor and captured Nicaea, Antioch, Edessa. In July 1099, the crusaders entered Jerusalem, staging a brutal massacre of Muslims here.

On the occupied lands, the Europeans created their own states. By the 30s. XII century the crusaders lost several cities and territories. The king of Jerusalem turned to the Pope for help, and he called on the European monarchs for a new crusade.

Basic hikes

The table "Crusades" will help to systematize the information

Hike

Participants and organizers

Main goals and results

1 crusade (1096 - 1099)

The organizer is Pope Urban II. Knights from France, Germany, Italy

The desire of the popes to extend their power to new countries, Western feudal lords - to acquire new possessions and increase income. Liberation of Nicaea (1097), capture of Edessa (1098), capture of Jerusalem (1099). Creation of the state of Tripoli, the principality of Antioch, the county of Edessa, the Kingdom of Jerusalem

2nd crusade (1147 - 1149)

Led by Louis VII of the French and German Emperor Conrad III

Loss of Edessa by the crusaders (1144). Complete failure of the crusaders

3rd crusade (1189 - 1192)

Led by the German emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, the French king Philip II Augustus and the English king Richard I the Lionheart

The purpose of the campaign is to return Jerusalem, captured by the Muslims. have failed.

4 crusade (1202 - 1204)

Organizer - Pope Innocent III. French, Italian, Germanic feudal lords

The brutal plundering of Christian Constantinople. The collapse of the Byzantine Empire: the Greek states - the Epirus kingdom, the Nicene and Trebizond empires. The Crusaders created the Latin Empire

Child (1212)

Thousands of children died or were sold into slavery

5 crusade (1217 - 1221)

Duke of Austria Leopold VI, King of Hungary Andras II, and others

A campaign was organized to Palestine and Egypt. The offensive in Egypt and in the negotiations on Jerusalem failed due to the lack of unity in leadership.

6 crusade (1228 - 1229)

German King and Roman Emperor Frederick II Staufen

March 18, 1229 Jerusalem as a result of the conclusion of a treaty with the Egyptian sultan, but in 1244 the city again passed to the Muslims.

7 crusade (1248 - 1254)

French King Louis IX Saint.

Hike to Egypt. The defeat of the crusaders, the capture of the king, followed by ransom and return home.

8 crusade (1270-1291)

Mongol troops

The last and unfortunate one. The knights lost all possessions in the East, except for Fr. Cyprus. The ruin of the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean

Rice. 2. Crusaders.

The second campaign took place in 1147-1149. It was led by the German Emperor Konrad III Staufen and the French King Louis VII. In 1187, Sultan Saladin defeated the crusaders and captured Jerusalem, which was fought off by King Philip II Augustus of France, King Frederick I Barbarossa of Germany and King Richard I the Lionheart of England.

The fourth was organized against Orthodox Byzantium. In 1204, the crusaders mercilessly plundered Constantinople, staging a massacre of Christians. In 1212, 50,000 children were sent to Palestine from France and Germany. Most of them became slaves or died. In history, the adventure is known as the Children's Crusade.

After the report to the Pope on the fight against the heresy of the Cathars in the Languedoc region, a series of military campaigns took place from 1209 to 1229. This is the Albigensian or Qatari crusade.

The fifth (1217-1221) was the great failure of the Hungarian king Endre II. In the sixth (1228-1229) the cities of Palestine were handed over to the crusaders, but already in 1244 they finally lost Jerusalem for the second time. To save those who remained there, a seventh campaign was announced. The crusaders were defeated, and the French king Louis IX was captured, where he remained until 1254.In 1270, he led the eighth - the last and extremely unsuccessful crusade, the stage of which from 1271 to 1272 is called the ninth.

Crusades of Russia

The ideas of the Crusades also penetrated into the territory of Russia. One of the directions of the foreign policy of its princes is war with unbaptized neighbors. The campaign of Vladimir Monomakh in 1111 against the Polovtsians, who often attacked Russia, was called a cross. In the XIII century, the princes fought with the Baltic tribes, the Mongols.

Consequences of hikes

The crusaders divided the conquered lands into several states:

  • The Kingdom of Jerusalem;
  • kingdom of Antioch;
  • County of Edessa;
  • county of Tripoli.

In the states, the crusaders established feudal orders along the lines of Europe. To protect their possessions in the east, castles were built and spiritual-knightly orders were founded:

  • hospitallers;
  • the templars;
  • Teutons.

Rice. 3. Spiritual knightly orders.

The orders were essential in protecting the Holy Land.

What have we learned?

From the article on history, we learned the chronological framework of the campaigns, the reasons and the reason for the beginning, the main composition of their participants. We found out how the main military campaigns ended, what are their consequences. In terms of the degree of influence on the further fate of the European powers, the campaigns of the crusaders can be compared with the Hundred Years War that unfolded later.

Test by topic

Assessment of the report

Average rating: 4 . Total ratings received: 880.

And the departure of Louis IX to France, Syria and Palestine came to a state of complete chaos. Neither the Kingdom of Jerusalem nor the King of Jerusalem became anymore: each city had its own ruler and its own government; the Venetians, Pisans and Genoese, who made up a significant part of the population of the coastal cities, fought endlessly with each other; the same happened with the spiritual chivalrous orders that waged a war of extermination between themselves, which knew no end. 7
At the same time, a new sultan came to power in Egypt. His name was Baybars - a former slave, bought on the banks of the Oks, who managed to seize the throne, becoming the commander of the bodyguards of the previous sultan.
In 1260, he became the only monarch who was able to defeat the invincible Mongols.
He was a power-hungry sovereign who since then acquired the same power that Saladin once enjoyed, and who was both capable and inclined to continue the policy of his great predecessor on all main points.
While still a Turkmen slave, with dark color skin, he entered the ranks of the Egyptian Mamluks and in a short time achieved great fame among them for his military abilities.

Islam was largely indebted to him for the victory over Louis IX, and although he has since then sent deadly weapons against the rulers of Egypt twice, even these atrocities only increased the fearful reverence with which the Muslim people looked at the fierce hero.
As a sultan, he was as invariably treacherous and cruel to rivals or enemies as before when he was emir, but in all other respects he carried out his government task not only with due wisdom, but also with great nobility.

As a good Mohammedan, he punctually obeyed the precepts of the Qur'an, lived abstinence himself, forced his troops to the same moderation and, with the help of religious excitement, encouraged them to courage. Fair to his subjects, whatever tribe and whatever faith they may be, he, despite the most terrible severity, gave the masses a sense of security and complacency; and although he, as the second Saladin, considered the main task of his life to fight in the East until its complete destruction, he was still politically impartial and shrewd enough not to neglect useful alliances with some European powers.
Under him, Egypt became more powerful than ever, and almost all possessions crusaders v Holy land were captured. Starting with the capture of Nazareth and the burning of the Church of the Mother of God, then he rushed to Caesarea, whose entire population was betrayed of death or slavery, and to Arsuf, which was turned into ruins.
Having made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to call on Muhammad for help, Baybars captured the city of Safed on the highest mountain in Galilee and massacred the Templars who defended him, although they surrendered to surrender.
Soon Jaffa, fortified by Louis IX, found itself in the hands of an implacable enemy of Christians, who killed its inhabitants and set the city in flames.
The greatest disaster for the heirs crusaders there was the fall of Antioch - a city that cost so much suffering and blood to the comrades of Gottfried of Bouillon. 7
The overthrown Jerusalem emperor Baldwin and numerous walkers from Syria and Palestine, collecting alms in Europe, begged in vain for help; although in several states they tried to preach a new crusade v Holy land, this time no one received the Cross. The holy war was now viewed as a fatal disaster; the pulpits, from which they had previously so actively called for action, kept a dull silence, and sometimes one could even hear or read something that strongly resembled blasphemy.
So, one poet, describing the disasters Holy land ended with an exclamation:
“He is mad who would wish to fight the Saracens, when Jesus Christ himself leaves them alone, allowing them to triumph simultaneously over the Franks, and over the Tatars, and over the peoples of Armenia, and over the peoples of Persia.
Every day Christians are subjected to new humiliations, because He sleeps, this God, the quality of which was vigilance, while Mohammed appears in all his strength and leads the fierce Baybars ahead. " 7
Louis IX felt guilty of these new calamities and, remembering his shameful defeat, decided to try again and began to think about a new attack on Egypt.
Charles of Anjou, in his new status as king, thought completely differently. Charles still dreamed of Constantinople and considered Byzantium his main enemy. He saw Baybars as a potential friend and ally.
Charles opposed the attack on Egypt and argued that Tunisia, which was, after all, also Muslim, should be attacked instead. Tunisia was much closer to France - just ninety miles west of Sicily's westernmost peninsula. A combined Franco-Sicilian army could fortify itself in Tunisia and take the Capetian control of the Central Mediterranean.

But the main reason for the desire of Karl of Anjou to send crusade initially, Tunisia was the following: “Tunisia paid tribute to the Kingdom of Sicily while the Staufens ruled there. From the time Charles of Anjou arrived in Palermo to rule, the emir stopped paying tribute, and his country became at that time a refuge for the followers of the Staufens, who from there threatened the position of the French in southern Italy.
Therefore, King Charles, no doubt, first of all tried to channel the power crusaders against Tunisia, and the pious Louis, when he was bribed for this campaign by a clever game, was only a victim of selfish calculations ... "6
Then it was possible to move further to the East. Charles envisioned this movement to the East in the direction of Constantinople, but apparently did not bother to devote his romantic brother to all the details of the ingenious plan. 5
In 1266, Louis IX turned to Pope Clement IV with a request to organize a new crusade, who, after some hesitation, instilled in him by a sense of responsibility, finally approved the intention of the king.
In 1267, Louis IX was fifty-three years old, and he already felt his age. He announced his decision to go to Tunisia and began preparations.
In March 1267, Louis called the nobles of his state to Paris and accepted the cross before their eyes.
His brother, Count Alphonse of Poitiers, who had already made a vow of pilgrimage a little earlier, immediately joined him. Louis' sons - Philip, John, Tristan and Peter - immediately followed the example of their father.
King Thibault of Navarre, Counts of Artois, Brittany and Flemish and many other French rulers also declared themselves ready to take part in crusade to the East. 6
But most of the chivalry of Louis had no desire to sacrifice property and blood again for the sake of a hopeless war against Islam.
His old friend Joinville, who had accompanied the king in the previous Crusade, categorically declared to Louis that this was the greatest folly, and refused to accompany him a second time.
It took about three years to prepare. It turned out to be difficult to collect the money. If the clergy, albeit with displeasure, paid the papal tithe, then the secular nobility showed stubbornness. Princes and barons did not want to mortgage their lands and castles for the sake of the chimera, following the example of past years.
The king resorted to a general tax, collected in the most urgent cases, but he managed to collect little. In the end, Louis took the travel expenses on himself and (an unprecedented case) agreed to pay the salaries of his noble vassals. 7
Meanwhile, King Louis diligently continued to arm himself and acquire allies. His brother, King Charles of Sicily, was ready to take part in the campaign with a large army. The English princes Edward and Edmund, the sons of Henry III, together with many noble people of their homeland took the cross and, thanks to a loan from the French, were able to recruit a prominent army.
Finally, among the brave Frisians, the former desire for a fierce battle with the "pagans" was once again aroused, so that thousands took a vow of pilgrimage, and a mighty fleet was prepared to sail. When hopes for the success of the enterprise increased with this, Louis decided to start the campaign, in the spring of 1270.
Before leaving his country, he, as far as possible, took care of eliminating any enmity in it, satisfied those who could have any claims to him, and with a generous hand put in order the property of his children, as if anticipating his imminent end ...
Then he took the oriflamma, the pilgrim's staff, the bag at Saint-Denis, and went to Aigues-Mortes, the gathering place of his army.
But landing troops of christ the ships dragged on for some time: Louis turned to the Venetians and Genoese for the fleet for the crossing, but Venice, for fear of interfering with its trade with Egypt, did not dare to fulfill the king's request, and Genoa, which in the end supplied a significant number of ships with numerous naval servants, did not deliver them on time to Aigues Mortes. Meanwhile, among the assembled pilgrims, a bloody feud began, which Louis managed to pacify with difficulty. 6
However, Louis nevertheless left France and a few days later, in which crusaders had to endure a strong storm, they reached the nearest target, the harbor of Cagliari on the Sardinian coast. Here crusaders held a council of war, and it was decided and announced that the army would not move on a direct road to Syria, and not to Egypt, but first to Tunisia.
This sudden news was explained to the army of the cross the fact that the alleged emir of Tunisia had a desire to convert to Christianity. If this statement turned out to be erroneous, then, in any case, it would be very desirable to take away from the ruler of Egypt the reinforcements that he receives from Tunisia with soldiers, horses and weapons, in addition, this city is so rich that by conquering it Christians would receive large aids. for further war with Muslims ...
On July 15, King Louis IX of France departed with the pilgrims from the harbor of Cagliari and a few days later, on July 17, arrived at the Tunisian roadstead.

The next day everyone crusader the army landed on a narrow strip of coast between the sea and Lake Tunis. Muslim troops were close, but did not dare to attack.
On July 19 and 20, battles took place in which the Christians easily defeated the enemy and moved from this strip of coast to ancient Carthage, where they found a place for their camp.
Tunisia was in grave danger, because such a strong attack was not expected there, and at this moment even a lack of food was felt. Meanwhile, the emir gathered his military forces as soon as possible, made many Christians in his power hostage and threatened them with death if the French moved against his capital. In addition, Baybars in a letter encouraged him to defend, promised him help and really took measures to reach Tunisia from Egypt with a ground army.
The best salvation for the Tunisians, however, turned out to be the erroneous actions of King Louis, who, as before on the Nile, and now in Carthage, failed to consolidate the success he had received. Perhaps King Louis still thought that bloody battles were unnecessary, because the Muslim enemy would soon> turn into a Christian friend, but in any case, the king decided not to start larger enterprises until King Charles arrived at the camp with a Sicilian army. He completely refused to defeat the enemy with quick blows, but on the contrary, was content with strengthening his camp, which enabled the Tunisian emir to prepare the strongest resistance. 6
But Charles of Anjou kept himself waiting for several weeks, and the Tunisian ruler, instead of converting to Christianity, rallied himself, and his messenger announced that the prince would appear "to be baptized on the battlefield."
The only success that crusaders reached under these circumstances, was the conquest of the so-called Carthaginian castle. The Genoese, who demanded this seizure and received permission for it, took this strong fortification by attack on July 23, but after that the Christians limited themselves to only repelling the attacks of the Muslims from their camp, which soon began and became bolder every day.
Moreover, thanks to the prejudices with which the king and at least some of his companions began the campaign, the enemy managed to deceive them in the stupidest way. Once, three noble Muslims came to the outposts and expressed a desire to convert to Christianity; although they were captured, they believed their words. Immediately after that, about a hundred Muslims appeared, who also asked for baptism, and while negotiations were being held with them, a large crowd of enemies came, rushed with weapons at the Christians, and before they could drive them out, sixty Christians were killed ...
The three prisoners who were involved in interrogation about this attack stated that it was obviously done by their enemies, and that if they were released, they would return the next day with more than two thousand co-religionists and with a large amount of food. supplies. They were indeed released, but of course they never appeared again ... 6
In August 1270, during the most intense heat, among crusaders dysentery began. The first victims were the Counts of Vendome and de la Marche, then Montmorency, de Brissac and others. Finally, so many people began to die that they had to dump the corpses into common pits.
Louis tried to maintain vigor knights of the cross, but soon fell ill himself. The disease progressed rapidly. Louis was already very weak and therefore it was possible to foresee the bad outcome of his illness, and indeed, Louis soon felt the approach of his death.
However, true to his duty and pious, he cared for crusaders, with a trembling hand wrote a famous, wise and warm lesson to his son and heir to the throne Philip, then plunged into fervent prayer and died peacefully and peacefully on August 25, 1270.
The son of Louis Philip, himself sick, amid the general grief, took the oath of the leaders and soldiers, after which he became the new king of France, Philip III.


Three prelates, who were at the death of Louis, were instructed to go with the sad news to the West. In his message to the French, the new king asked to pray for the repose of his father's soul and promised to follow his example in everything.
The body of the king was transported by Charles of Anjou to Sicily and buried in the Cathedral of Montreal, where an urn with his entrails is still kept in an altar dedicated to Louis. Subsequently, the remains of Louis were transferred to Saint-Denis.
Immediately after the death of Louis, the question of his canonization was raised by his son, France and Europe, who unanimously glorified the holiness of the pious king.
On August 11, 1287, Pope Boniface VIII canonized the noble deceased ...
The death of this man alone was enough to completely change the character crusade .
Heir apparent and current King Philip III the Bold did not possess his father's dreamy pilgrimage mood. In addition, at the very hour of the death of Saint Louis, King Charles of Sicily arrived at the camp of the pilgrims with his troops and ships, and therefore crusade could only pursue clearly defined political and military goals.
Muslims after the death of Louis became more and more courageous in their attacks on the camp crusaders, therefore, the kings Charles of Sicily, Philip of France and Thibault of Navarre took battle wherever they could: first, in the course of several battles, they pushed the enemy away from their camp, then with part of their fleet they occupied the Tunisian waters and finally once again put the Muslim army to flight, not far from their capital ... This achieved the foundation for the conclusion of peace.
The bulk of the Christian army demanded the storming and plundering of wealthy Tunisia. But neither Charles nor Philip had the desire to besiege Tunisia, conquer it and hold it with an expensive garrison.
On October 30, a peace treaty was concluded, the clauses of which determined the further peaceful coexistence of Christians and Muslims in Tunisia, in particular:
citizens of the states that have concluded the treaty can freely and freely live in the lands of both sides;
in the regions of Tunisia, they should not prevent the Christian clergy from building churches, establishing cemeteries and praying and preaching loudly there as in their homeland;
none of the sovereigns who are in the treaty will tolerate the rebellious subjects of another in their land;
prisoners of war will be extradited by both parties without ransom;
christian the kings will immediately clear the Tunisian region;
The emir paid them in three terms the war costs of 210,000 ounces of gold (about eight and a half million marks in German money), in addition, he will pay twice the previous tribute to the Sicilian throne and will give all the unpaid tribute for five years ... 6
During November, the French and Italians left the African coast and arrived shortly thereafter in Sicily. From Sicily was to continue crusade, but since King Philip wanted to return to his kingdom, and most of the pilgrims were severely exhausted by disease and deprivation (now Thibault of Navarre and Count Alphonse of Poitiers, brother of Louis IX died one more after another), it was decided to postpone the enterprise for a while and get together to finish it only after three years ...
This is how the second ended crusade Saint Louis.
Since then, Europe has no longer found a force capable of rallying Christians to fight against Muslims and expelling the "infidels" from Holy land...
At the beginning of the 13th century, Mongol nomads from Central Asia led by Genghis Khan created a powerful empire. It stretched from North China to the Caspian Sea.
After the death of Genghis Khan, the Mongols waged war with their neighbors to the east and west. Between 1230 and 1233 they conquered Persia, in 1237 - 1238. invaded North-Eastern Russia, and in 1240 they conquered Southern Russia.
In the spring of 1241, they took Krakow and soon were already in Silesia, where a whole army opposed them, but, like all the previous ones, it was also defeated by them. Following this, they suddenly appeared in the Middle East.
The news of the Tatar-Mongol invasion reached Italy and France. In 1245, Pope Innocent IV sent Franciscan Giovanni del Carpine to the residence of the Mongol Khan, who was supposed to negotiate with him and try to convert him to Christianity. In fact, the Mongols were already familiar with the ideas of Christianity, since scattered Christian communities had long existed in the East.
When the Mongols invaded Palestine in the middle of the 13th century, they were even supported by the small Christian state of Armenians. The Armenians also took part in the capture of the Syrian city of Aleppo by the Mongols.
In September 1260, the Mongols suffered their first defeat in the Middle East. They were defeated by the Egyptians at the Battle of Ain Jalut. This defeat closed the way for the Mongols to North Africa, and Egypt became the most powerful power in the entire region.
Having gained this victory, the Egyptians entered the war with neighboring Christian states and managed to expel the crusaders from Palestine. On May 18, 1291, after a long siege, Akkon fell, and on May 19, Tire. The fall of Sidon took place in June, Beirut on July 31. 4
True, the scattered remnants of Christians settled in Asia Minor. In Syria, Turkey and Lebanon, they have survived to this day.
But with domination crusaders it was over once and for all ...

Sources of information:
1. "
"(Magazine" The Tree of Knowledge "No. 21/2002)
2. Uspensky F. "History crusades
3.Wikipedia site
4. Wazold M. " Crusaders»
5. Azimov A. "History of France: from Charlemagne to Jeanne d" Arc "
6. Kugler B. "History crusades »
7. Michaud J. "History