1176–1230 · Duke of Austria and leader in the Fifth Crusade
Leopold VI of Austria
Duke of Austria; he came to Acre with the first wave of the Fifth Crusade in 1217 and played an important part in the siege of Damietta in 1218–1219.
BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER
Life and historical role
Life and political setting
Leopold VI of the Babenberg dynasty was the son of Leopold V, who had held Richard captive, and became duke of Austria in 1198. He had previously taken part in campaigns against the Almohads in Spain and the Albigensians in southern France.
Role in the Crusades
He reached Acre in September 1217 and took part in the campaigns in Galilee with King Andrew II of Hungary. After Andrew's departure he stayed in the East and in 1218 supported turning the army toward Egypt. At the siege of Damietta he took part in critical operations such as the capture of the chain tower on the Nile and spent large sums on the crusade. He returned to Austria in spring 1219.
Historical significance and source problems
Leopold is praised in contemporary sources for his generosity and piety. He died in 1230. Oliver of Paderborn's Historia Damiatina and Austrian annals describe his role in the crusade.
Biographical information is linked to the sources shown on the page and to the connected event records. Disputed dates are given as approximate, gaps are not filled by conjecture, and later literary or visual depictions are not treated as contemporary portraits.