Fifth Crusade

Fifth Crusade
Part of the Crusades
Frisian crusaders confront the Tower of Damietta, Egypt
Date 1213–1221 Location Levant and Egypt Result Decisive Ayyubid victory Eight-year truce between the Ayyubids and the Crusaders
Belligerents
Latin Empire of Constantinople Jerusalem Kingdom of Cyprus Sultanate of Rum Holy Roman Empire Duchy of Austria County of Tyrol Duchy of Bavaria Duchy of Merania County of Holland Electorate of Cologne Knights Templar Teutonic Knights Knights Hospitaller Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of Croatia Principality of Halych Kingdom of France County of Flanders County of Rodez Papal States	Ayyubid Sultanate Emirate of Damascus Emirate of Homs Emirate of Hama Emirate of Aleppo Emirate of Baalbek
Commanders and leaders
John of Brienne Bohemond IV Hugh I Kaykaus I Frederick II Leopold VI Albert IV Ludwig I Otto I Pedro de Montaigu Hermann von Salza Guérin de Montaigu Andrew II William I Phillip II Henry I of Rodez † Pelagio Galvani	Al-Kamil Al-Mu'azzam Al-Mujahid Al-Muzaffar Mahmud Al-Aziz Muhammad Bahramshah
Strength
32,000 men	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

The Fifth Crusade (1213–1221) was an attempt by Western Europeans to reacquire Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering the powerful Ayyubid state in Egypt.

Pope Innocent III and his successor Pope Honorius III organized crusading armies led by King Andrew II of Hungary and Leopold VI, Duke of Austria, and an attack against Jerusalem ultimately left the city in Muslim hands. Later in 1218, a German army led by Oliver of Cologne, and a mixed army of Dutch, Flemish and Frisian soldiers led by William I, Count of Holland joined the crusade. In order to attack Damietta in Egypt, they allied in Anatolia with the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm which attacked the Ayyubids in Syria in an attempt to free the Crusaders from fighting on two fronts.

After occupying the port of Damietta, the Crusaders marched south towards Cairo in July 1221, but were turned back after their dwindling supplies led to a forced retreat. A nighttime attack by Sultan Al-Kamil resulted in a great number of crusader losses, and eventually in the surrender of the army. Al-Kamil agreed to an eight-year peace agreement with Europe.

Pope Innocent III had already planned since 1208 a crusade to recapture Jerusalem. In April 1213 he issued the papal bull Quia maior, calling all of Christendom to join a new crusade. This was followed by another papal bull, the Ad Liberandam in 1215.

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