Page "Kingdom of Jerusalem" Paragraph 65

Hugh III and Baibars made a one-year truce after these conquests ; Baibars knew that Louis IX was planning another crusade from Europe, and assumed that the target would once again be Egypt.

But instead the crusade was diverted to Tunis, where Louis died.

Baibars was free to continue his campaigns: in 1270 he had the Assassins kill Philip of Montfort, and in 1271 he captured the Hospitaller and Teutonic Knights strongholds of Krak des Chevaliers and Montfort Castle.

He also besieged Tripoli, but abandoned it in May when Prince Edward of England arrived, the only part of Louis IX's crusade to arrive in the east.

Edward could do nothing except arrange a ten-year truce with Baibars, who nevertheless attempted to have him assassinated as well.

Edward left in 1272, and despite the Second Council of Lyon's plans for another crusade in 1274, no further large-scale expedition ever arrived.

Hugh III's authority on the mainland began to break down ; he was an unpopular king, and Beirut, the only territory left outside of Acre and Tyre, started to act independently.

Its heiress, Isabella of Ibelin ( widow of Hugh II ), actually placed it under Baibars ' protection.

Finding the mainland ungovernable, Hugh III left for Cyprus, leaving Balian of Arsuf as bailli.

Then in 1277, Maria of Antioch sold her claim to the kingdom to Charles of Anjou, who sent Roger of San Severino to represent him.

The Venetians and Templars supported the claim, and Balian was powerless to oppose him.

Baibars died in 1277 and was succeeded by Qalawun.

In 1281 the ten year truce expired and was renewed by Roger.

Roger returned to Europe after the Sicilian Vespers in 1282, and was replaced by Odo Poilechien.

Hugh III attempted to re-assert his authority on the mainland by landing at Beirut in 1283, but this was ineffective and he died in Tyre in 1284.

He was succeeded briefly by his son John II, who died soon after in 1285, and was succeeded by his brother, Hugh III's other son Henry II.

That year Qalawun captured the Hospitaller fortress of Marqab.

Charles of Anjou also died in 1285, and the military orders and the commune of Acre accepted Henry II as king ; Odo Poilechen refused to recognize him, but was allowed to hand Acre over to the Templars rather than Henry directly, and the Templars then handed it to the king.

War broke out between the Venetians and Genoese again in 1287, and Tripoli fell to Qalawun in 1289.

Although it was only a matter of time before Acre also fell, the end of the crusader kingdom was actually instigated in 1290 by newly-arrived crusaders, who rioted in Acre and attacked the city's Muslim merchants.

Qalawun died before he could retaliate, but his son al-Ashraf Khalil arrived to besiege Acre in April, 1291.

Acre was defended by Henry II's brother Amalric of Tyre, the Hospitallers, Templars, and Teutonic Knights, the Venetians and Pisans, the French garrison led by Jean I de Grailly, and the English garrison led by Otton de Grandson, but they were vastly outnumbered.

Henry II himself arrived in May during the siege, but the city fell on May 18.

Henry, Amalric, Otton, and Jean escaped, as did a young Templar named Roger de Flor, but most of the other defenders did not, including the master of the Templars Guillaume de Beaujeu.

Tyre fell without a fight the next day, Sidon fell in June, and Beirut in July.