SIXTH CRUSADE MAJOR PLAYERS Frederick II  King of Germany, King of Jerusalem, Crusader General  Jean de Brienne  Regent of Jerusalem; father of Queen Yolanda  Yolanda  Queen of Jerusalem, wife of Frederick II  Pope Gregory IX  Did not call for Sixth Crusade & generally hated Frederick  Al-Kamil  Turkish Sultan & general  Major Battles: None. Due to the roaring disappointment of the Fifth Crusade, the Church The Papacy seemed unwilling to directly involve itself in ordering any more Crusades. Frederick II of Germany was quite openly condemned for his failure to participate in the Fifth Crusade, despite the fact that he was honestly occupied with fights in his own kingdom. Quite soon after the failure of the Fifth Crusade, Frederick was given the opportunity to repair his reputation. Jean de Brienne had become regent of Jerusalem and his daughter Yolanda would be crowned Queen of Jerusalem once she was suitably married. A marriage was arranged between Yolanda and Frederick, and the couple met and married in Italy in 1225. Yolanda quickly gave Frederick a son, Conrad, and died soon after his birth. Frederick had renewed his vow to Crusade (made prior to the Fifth Crusade) in 1223. For a third time he declared his vow to Crusade in 1225, and this time he apparently meant it. His armies were assembled and ready to go in 1227. In September of that year he set sail with his armies from Brindisi, leaving behind an alarming outbreak of malaria. Unfortunately Frederick's men brought malaria with them on board. After only three days at sail, Frederick himself was very ill and was forced to delay the Crusade. Despite the fact that the Roman Catholic Church had not called for this Crusade, Pope Gregory IX was furious with Frederick's delays. He promptly excommunicated him. Despite his weakened condition, Frederick was motivated to summon his armies once more for a departure in 1228. This only seemed to taunt Pope Gregory, who excommunicated him a second time. Yes, he was excommunicated for not crusading and then excommunicated for Crusading. The first excommunication effectively dissuaded a large portion of Frederick's army from continuing under his command, and Frederick arrived in Turkish territory with a much smaller army than he had set out with. With the death of his wife Yolanda, Frederick also found that he was unwelcome in the East. Since the regency came to him through his wife, most locals no longer recognized Frederick as King. It was upon his arrival in Acre that news of the second excommunication reached Frederick's army, prompting even more of his men to turn for home. He was no longer in any position to wage war, and decided to attempt diplomacy instead. Fortunately Frederick caught the Sultan, Al-Kamil, in a precarious situation. Al-Kamil was already engaged in an attack on Damascus when Frederick arrived in country. Neither man wanted an open fight so they began to argue terms. An agreement was finally reached at the end of 1228. Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Nazareth were returned to the west. The Turks would retain control of the Dome of the Rock and the Mosque al-Aqsa, and be granted unfettered entrance into the city. All prisoners were freed and a ten-year truce was agreed upon. Despite the great victory this appeared on the surface, Jerusalem was still a battered and undefendable city. The truce gave Al-Kamil more time to unite the tribes of the Turkish and Egyptian armies. Al-Kamil had granted Frederick undefendable territory, and himself the reprieve to form the army that would take Jerusalem back once and for all. The leaders of the West were cognizant of their weak position and further chastised Frederick for not taking advantage of Al-Kamil's currently weak position. Frederick promptly traveled to Jerusalem and crowned himself King in 1229. He was greeted by a ghost town, and there was a large uproar of discontent at his presumptuous coronation. He was forced to return to Acre to attempt to mend his bad public relations, and from there returned to Germany. The Sixth Crusade was over, and it appeared that it would be the last Crusade. With Jerusalem back under western control there was no longer a need to Crusade to the Holy Land. But of course the Turks had no intention of allowing Jerusalem to remain in Christian hands. In 1244 the Turks reclaimed Jerusalem with little resistance, prompting the call for the Seventh Crusade.