Siege of Damietta (1218–1219)
| Siege of Damietta | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Fifth Crusade | |||||||||
Crusaders attack the tower of Damietta in a painting by Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen. | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Crusaders | Ayyubid Sultanate | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Simon III, Count of Saarbrücken William of Chartres (Templar) (KIA) | Al-Kamil | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
The siege of Damietta of 1218–1219 was part of the Fifth Crusade in which the Crusaders attacked the Egyptian port city of Damietta. The city, under the control of the Ayyubid sultan al-Kamil, was besieged in 1218 and taken by the Crusaders in 1219.
At the beginning of the Fifth Crusade, it was agreed that a force would attempt to take Damietta, located at the mouth of the river Nile. The Crusaders then planned to use this city as a launching point for the southern portion of a pincer attack upon Jerusalem from Acre and Suez. Control over the area would also provide wealth to finance the continuation of the crusade, and reduce the threat from the Muslim fleet. By 1221, Damietta was lost when Crusader forces surrendered the city and evacuated Egypt.