SEVENTH CRUSADE MAJOR PLAYERS Louis IX  King of France, Crusader General Fakhr al-Din Egyptian General Ayub Sultan Turan-shah Son of Ayub Robert of Artois Brother of Louis IX Margaret Queen of France, wife of Louis IX; had to negotiate for his ransom MAJOR BATTLES Damietta  Captured by Louis with no struggle  Bahr al-Saghir  River site where Robert's troops crossed & surprised the Egyptians  Monsourah  Site of the massacre of Robert & his men; stronghold of the Egyptians   In 1248 Louis IX set out to conquer the Holy Land with a personal army, financed by the French crown, which also included his wife and children. He landed in Cyprus where he met with many other local leaders, and once again the descision was made to conquer Egypt in order to weaken the forces surrounding Jerusalem. Louis eagerly landed in Egypt and decided to push ahead without waiting for the rest of the army. The Egyptian general, Fakhr ad-Din found that the city of Damietta was not capable of defending itself, so he and the majority of the residents slipped away under cover of darkness. Louis triumphantly entered Damietta in June of 1249 and declared it his base of operations. The Crusaders remembered the former offer of Jerusalem for the city of Damietta, and they were hopeful that they would receive such an offer again.   The flood season had come upon Egypt and Louis remembered the tragedy of the Fifth Crusade. He elected to wait in Damietta for the arrival of the rest of the troops. Oddly, the Sultan Ayub did offer Jerusalem in exchange for Damietta once again, and once again the Crusaders, emboldened by their newest acquisition, refused. Meanwhile the Sultan had moved his forces to the site of the Crusader's defeat in the Fifth Crusade. He was determined to meet the Crusaders here. And when the waters began to recede Louis obliged the Sultan by setting off for Cairo, along the same route that had been taken before. The Sultan died in November of 1249, just as the Crusaders were leaving Damietta. The Sultana sent off for her son Turan-shah to take his father's place, and successfully saw him and the general Fakhr placed in power just as the Crusaders arrived on their doorstep. For a time the two armies fought lightly on the banks of the Bahr as-Saghir. The Crusaders attempted to build bridges across the river while the Muslims strived to destroy them. Finally a local Christian offered to show Louis a place to cross the river. Louis sent his brother Robert to lead the march across. Showing and impatience similar to his brother Louis', Robert crossed the river and then decided to attack the Egyptians before waiting for the rest of the army to cross. The Egyptians were completely surprised and most of them fled for the fortress of Mansourah. Fakhr was among those who stood their ground and were slaughtered by the Crusaders. Robert was elated with his victory and insisted on pursuing the Egyptian army to Mansourah. Against the advice of his peers, he set out while Louis was still crossing the river. Little did Robert know that the Egyptians had been regrouped by Rukn ad-Din Baibars and had devised a trap for the Crusader army. Robert and his men found little resistance at Monsourah and managed to penetrate to the heart of the city. It was only then that Rukn ordered the attack. The Crusaders were scattered and decimated by desperate townspeople throwing rocks as well as trained soldiers. Only five men escaped the city and ran to tell Louis of the tragedy. Robert and most of the knights of the Crusader army were dead. The emboldened Egyptian army swooped down upon Louis and his men to attack. After a long a tiring battle the Egyptians retreated back to Monsourah, as the Crusaders retreated to their own camp. For several weeks small fights broke out between the two camps and the Crusaders were beginning to weaken. Louis made an offer to the new Sultan when he arrived, but Turan-shah was unwilling to trade Damietta for Jerusalem. Louis decided to beat a hasty retreat in April of 1250 and began to move his troops back across the river under cover of darkness. He forgot to order the destruction of the bridge, however, and the Egyptians soon began to pursue them. Dysentery began to weaken the Crusaders and very soon the army was incapable of moving. Everyone, including King Louis was captured. The only card they had left was the City of Damietta, which Louis had left under the control of his wife, Queen Margaret. Many of the captive Crusaders were killed, simply because the Egyptians lacked the manpower to guard them all. Louis was taken back to Monsourah to be nursed back to health. Margaret meanwhile gave birth to Louis' son, and was taken to Acre where she would be safe. She left Patriarch Robert in charge of Damietta and negotiations. An uprising occurred in Monsourah and Turah-shah was assassinated. Now the region was under the control of the Mamluks, who quickly arranged a suitable ransom. Louis was released at Damietta in return for the safe return of the city, and a hefty ransom fee of which half had to paid immediately. Louis found safe passage to Acre and now had to find a way to raise the other half of the ransom. In 1251 he managed to negotiate a release of his debt by offering Muslim prisoners, as well as assistance in protecting Cairo. In November of 1252 Louis returned to France. The Seventh Crusade had ended unsuccessfully.