Siege of Damietta
1218 CE.
Shown on the map at 31.417°, 31.817°.
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 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 Egyptian fleet. By 1221, Damietta was lost when Crusader forces surrendered the city and evacuated Egypt. St Francis of Assisi is believed to have made a well-received but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to convert Egypt's Sultan al-Kamil during the siege.
Text from the Wikipedia article Siege of Damietta (1218–1219), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.