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Battle of Mansurah (1250)

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Battle of Al Mansurah
Part of the Seventh Crusade
DateFrom February 8 to February 11, 1250
Location
Al Mansurah, Egypt
Result Egyptians victory
Belligerents
Ayyubid Crusaders
Commanders and leaders

Emir Fakhr ad-Din Faris ad-Din Aktai

Baibars

Louis IX (later Saint Louis) Alphonse de Poitiers

Robert d'Artois
Strength
ca.70,000 started 7th crusade with 60,000[1]
Casualties and losses
ca.100[2] Al Mansurah +1000 Fariskur +15,000

The Battle of Al Mansurah fought from February 8 to February 11 1250 between the Crusaders led by Louis IX King of France (later Saint Louis) and Ayyubid forces led by Emir Fakhr-ad-Din Yussuf فخر الدين يوسف , Faris ad-Din Aktai فارس الدين أقطاى and Baibars al-Bunduqdari بيبرس البندقدارى .

Background

At the end of the first half of the 13th century, the crusaders became convinced that Egypt, which became Islam's citadel and arsenal [3], was forming an obstacle to their ambition to capture Jerusalem which they lost for the second time in 1244. In 1245, during the first council of Lyons, pope Innocent IV gave his full support to the Seventh Crusade that was being prepared by Louis IX, king of France. The goals of the Seventh Crusade were to defeat Egypt, destroy the Ayyobid dynasty in Egypt and Syria and capture Jerusalem. To achieve their goals, the crusaders tried to convince the Mongols to be their allies against the Muslims[4] so that they be able to encircle and attack the Islamic world from west and east at the same time. The answer of Güyük the great Khan of the Mongols to the pope's envoys was that the pope and the kings of Europe should submit to them [5] [6] [7] . The ships of the seventh crusade sailed from the French ports of Aigues-Mortes and Marseille to Cyprus during the autumn of 1248 then in 1249 sailed toward Egypt led by king Louis's brothers Charles d'Anjou and Robert d'Artois. The ships entered the Egyptian waters and the troops of the seventh crusade disembarked at Damietta دمياط in June 1249. Emir Fakhr ad-Din Yussuf the commander of the Ayybid garrison in Damiette retreated to the camp of the Sultan in Ashmum-Tanah أشموم طناح causing a great panic among the inhabitants of Damietta who fled the town leaving the bridge that connected the west bank of the Nile with Damiette intact. The crusaders crossed the river over the bridge and occupied Damiette which was deserted. Upon hearing the news of the fall of Damiette, general emergency (which was called al-Nafir al-Am النفير العام) was declared and commons from Cairo and from all over Egypt began to move to the batteling zone.[8] [9] For six months a guerilla war was launched against the camps of the crusaders and many of the crusaders were captured and exhibited in the streets of Cairo.[10] As the crusader's army was stregthened by the arrival of Alphonse de Poitiers, the third brother of king Louis IX, at Damietta, the crusaders decided to march toward Cairo. On 20th of November 1249 they began their march encouraged by the news of the death of the Ayyobid Sultan as-Salih Ayyub الصالح أيوب. Shajar al-Durr شجر الدر , the widow of the dead Sultan concealed the news for sometime and sent Faris ad-Din Aktai to Hasankeyf to recall Turanshah توران شاه , the son and heir of the dead sultan, to receive the throne and lead the Egyptian army.

Battle

By arriving to the canal of Ashmum قناة أشموم (known today by the name Albahr Alsaghir البحر الصغير ) the crusaders became separated from the Muslims camp by the water of the canal. With the help of a local who showed them canal shoals, the crusaders led by Robert d'Artois crossed the canal along with the Knights Templers and an English contingent led by William of Salisbury and launched a surprise assault against the Egyptian camp in Jadila جديله , two miles from Al Mansurah المنصورة , and advanced toward the royal palace in Al Mansurah. The leadership of the Egyptian froces passed to the Mamluks Faris Ad-Din Aktai and Baibars al-Buduqdari who succeeded in containing the situation and reorganizing the Muslim forces. This was the first appearance of the Mamluks as supreme commanders inside Egypt[11]. Baibars orderded the opening of a gate to let the knights of the crusaders enter the town. The crusaders rushed into the town which they thought it was deserted to find themselves trapped inside. The crusaders were besieged from all directions and a heavy casualties were inflicted upon them. Robert of Artois (brother of Louis IX) who took refuge in a house [12] [13] [14] and William of Salisbury, were both killed along with most of the Knights Templar. Only five Knights Templers escaped alive.[15] The crusaders were forced to retreat to their camp. Early in the morning of February 11, The Muslim forces launched a devastating offensive against the Franks camp. On February 27 the new sultan Turanshah arrived at Al Mansurah to lead the Egyptian army and the death of as-Salih Ayyub was formally announced in Egypt. Ships were transported overland and dropped in the Nile behind the crusaders ships blocking the reinforcement line from Damiette. The Egyptians used Greek fire, destroyed and seized many supply vessels and soon the crusaders were suffering from famine and disease. Some crusaders desetred to the Muslim side[16] [17]. Despite the ultimate defeat of his forces and the fact that he was totally besieged, King Louis IX tried to negotiate a deal with the Egyptians offering the surrender of the Egyptian port of Damiette in exchange for Jerusalem and some towns on the Syrian coast. The offer was rejected by the Egyptians and nothing was left for the crusaders except to flee back to Damiette under cover of darkness on April 5, followed by the Muslim forces till they were not able to flee further than Farskur فارسكور where they were annihilated and King Louis IX was captured on 6th of April. The crusaders were circulating false information in Europe claiming that king Louis IX defeated the Sultan of Egypt in a great battle and Cairo had been betrayed into his hands.[18] Later, when the news of the French defeat and the capturing of Louis IX reached France a rather hysterical movement known by the name Shepherds' Crusade occurred in France.[19]

Aftermath

Between fifteen and thirty thousand of the French fell on the battlefield and thousands were taken prisoners [20] [21] [22]. Louis IX of France was captured in the nearby village of Moniat Abdallah منية عبدالله (now Meniat el Nasr منية النصر), chained and confined in the house of Ibrahim I­bn Lokman إبراهيم بن لقمان , the royal chancellor, and under the guard of an eunuch named Sobih al-Moazami [23] صبيح المعظمى. The king's brothers Charles d'Anjou and Alphonse de Poitiers were made prisoners at the same time, and carried to the same house with other French nobles. The sultan provided for their subsistence. A camp was set up outside the town to shelter the rest of the prisoners. Louis IX was ransomed for 400.000 dinars. After pledging not to return to Egypt, Louis surrendered Damiette and left to Acre with his brothers and 12000 war prisoners who the Egyptians agreed to release.[24]His queen, Marguerite de Provence, who meanwhile gave birth to a child that was named Jean Tristan (John Sorrow), left to Acre a few days earlier.[25]


The battle of Al Mansurah was a source of inspiration for writers and poets of that time. One of the satiric poems ended with the following verses: "If they ( the Franks ) decide to return to take revenge or to commit a wicked deed, tell them :The house of Ibn Lokman is intact, the chains still there as well as the eunuch Sobih".[26] —from stanza by Jamal ad-Din ibn Matruh.


The name of Al Mansurah ( Arabic: the Victorious المنصورة) that dates from an earlier period[27] was consolidated after this battle. The National Day of Daqahlia Governorate (capital Al Mansurah) on February 8, marks the anniversary of the defeat of Louis IX in 1250. The house of Ibn Lokman, which is now the only museum in Al Mansurah, is open to the public and houses articles that used to belong to the French monarch, including his personal thirteenth century toilet.

Notes

  1. ^ www.historyofwar.org
  2. ^ Al-Maqrizi
  3. ^ Toynbee
  4. ^ Runciman
  5. ^ D. Wilkinson
  6. ^ the message was handed to the pope's envoy the FranciscanGiovanni da Pian del Carpine. The document is preserved in the Vatican [liberary http://asv.vatican.va/en/doc/1246.htm] .
  7. ^ You must say with a sincere heart: "We will be your subjects; we will give you our strength". You must in person come with your kings, all together, without exception, to render us service and pay us homage. Only then will we acknowledge your submission. And if you do not follow the order of God, and go against our orders, we will know you as our enemy." —Letter from Güyük to Pope Innocent IV, 1246.
  8. ^ Ibn Taghri
  9. ^ Al-Maqrizi
  10. ^ Al-Maqrizi
  11. ^ Baibars led the Egyptian army in the Battle of La Forbie east of Gaza in 1244.
  12. ^ Lord of Joinville
  13. ^ Asly
  14. ^ Skip Knox
  15. ^ according to Matthew Paris, Only 2 Templars, 1 Hospitaller and one ‘contemptible person’ escaped.
  16. ^ Matthew Paris
  17. ^ Al-Maqrizi
  18. ^ Lord of Joinville
  19. ^ Matthew Paris
  20. ^ Al-Maqrizi
  21. ^ Abu al-Fida
  22. ^ Ibn Taghri
  23. ^ Though Louis IX, a king, was treated well, he was chained and put under the guard of a slave which was not the custom.
  24. ^ Many prisoners were executed. The number 12000 included prisoners from older battles.
  25. ^ Both Louis IX and his son Jean Tristan died in Tunis in 1270 during the eighth crusade,
  26. ^ Al-Maqrizi
  27. ^ Al Mansurah was orginated by al-Kamil in 1219 as his camp during the siege of Damietta Fifth Crusade. It was named al-Madinah al-Mansurah ( The victorious town المدينة المنصورة —Ref. Al-Maqrizi.

References

  • Abu al-Fida, History of Abu al-Fida
  • Al-Maqrizi, Al Selouk Leme'refatt Dewall al-Melouk, Dar al-kotob, 1997. In English: Bohn, Henry G., The Road to Knowledge of the Return of Kings, Chronicles of the Crusades, AMS Press, 1969.
  • Al-Maqrizi, al-Mawaiz wa al-'i'tibar bi dhikr al-khitat wa al-'athar,Matabat aladab,Cairo 1996, ISBN977-241-175X. In French: Bouriant, Urbain , Description topographique et historique de l'Egypte,Paris 1895
  • Asly,B., al-Muzafar Qutuz,Dar An-Nafaes Publishing,Beirut 2002, ISBN9953-18-051-2
  • Bournoutian, George A., A Concise History of the Armenian People: From Ancient Times to the Present. Mazda Publishers, 2002.
  • David Wilkinson, Studying the History of Intercivilizational Dialogues, presented to United nation University, tokyo/Kyoto 2001
  • Hassan. O, Al-Zahir Baibars, Dar al-Amal 1997
  • Ibn Taghri, al-Nujum al-Zahirah Fi Milook Misr wa al-Qahirah, al-Hay'ah al-Misreyah 1968
  • Michaud, Yahia (Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies) Ibn Taymiyya, Textes Spirituels I-XVI 2002.
  • Runciman, Steven A history of the Crusades 3. Penguin Books, 1987
  • Sadawi. H, Al-Mamalik, Maroof Ikhwan, Alexandria.
  • Skip Knox, Dr. E.L., The Crusades, Seventh Crusade, A college course on the Crusades, 1999
  • The chronicles of Matthew Paris ( Matthew Paris: Chronica Majora ) translated by Helen Nicholson 1989
  • The New Encyclopædia Britannica, Macropædia,H.H. Berton Publisher,1973-1974
  • The Memoirs of the Lord of Joinville, translated by Ethel Wedgwood 1906
  • Toynbee, Arnold J., Mankind and mother earth, Oxford university press 1976
  • www.historyofwar.org
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