The Crusades/VIII

1270 · 6 event records

Eighth Crusade

Facing Baybars' coastal conquests, Louis IX took the cross a second time; the army turned to Tunis and broke up after the king's death.

Eighth Crusade — Visual summary
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Crusade file

Eighth Crusade

01

Overview

The Eighth Crusade was a response to the Mamluk Sultan Baybars' coastal conquests in the 1260s, above all his capture of Antioch in 1268. Louis IX took the cross a second time, but the army turned to Tunis rather than the Holy Land, partly under the influence of his brother Charles of Anjou.

The crusaders landed near Carthage in July 1270; disease spread through the camp and Louis IX died in August. Charles of Anjou ended the expedition with a treaty with the ruler of Tunis, al-Mustansir. Lord Edward's small army, often counted as an extension of the crusade, reached Acre in 1271 and made limited raids; a ten-year truce with Baybars was signed in 1272. It was the last major crusade aimed at the Holy Land.

02

Main route

Aigues-Mortes · Carthage · Tunis · Acre

03

Outcome

The crusade ended in a treaty with Tunis; Lord Edward's small expedition to Acre had no lasting effect.

CONTEXTUAL READING

Event records for this crusade

March–April 1268 · Jaffa and Beaufort

Fall of Jaffa and Beaufort

In his campaign of spring 1268, Baybars took Jaffa after a short siege in early March and, in mid-April, the Templar castle of Shaqif Arnun (Beaufort). These conquests further shrank the territory held by the Kingdom of Jerusalem ahead of the Antioch campaign.

Open record →14–18 May 1268 · Antioch

Baybars captures Antioch

Baybars besieged Antioch in May 1268 and took the city on 18 May after a four-day siege. Most of the population was killed or carried off into slavery; the Principality of Antioch, in existence since 1098, effectively came to an end.

Open record →18 July – 25 August 1270 · Carthage / Tunis

Eighth Crusade: Tunis

Louis IX's second crusade sailed in July 1270 not to the Levant but to Hafsid Tunis. Disease spread through the camp at Carthage; the king died on 25 August 1270. His brother Charles of Anjou secured the army's withdrawal through a treaty with the Hafsid sultan.

Open record →8 April 1271 · Krak des Chevaliers

Surrender of Krak des Chevaliers

In March 1271 Baybars besieged Krak des Chevaliers (Hisn al-Akrad), the Hospitallers' strongest castle. After the outer defences fell, the garrison was persuaded to surrender, probably by a forged letter of command, and the castle was handed over on 8 April 1271 in return for safe conduct.

Open record →May 1271 – September 1272 · Acre – Caesarea

Lord Edward's Crusade

Prince Edward of England (later Edward I) reached Acre in May 1271 with a small army. Seeking coordination with the Mongol Ilkhanids, he made limited raids into Mamluk territory but achieved no lasting gain, and after the 1272 truce returned to Europe having survived an assassination attempt with wounds.

Open record →22 May 1272 · Caesarea

Baybars–Edward truce

On 22 May 1272 at Caesarea, a truce of ten years, ten months and ten days was signed between Baybars and King Hugh I of Jerusalem and Cyprus. By securing Acre and the pilgrim road to Nazareth, the truce effectively ended Lord Edward's crusade.

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