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==Seventh Crusade: Saint Louis and the Mongols (1248-1254)== [[Image:SaintLouisSainteChapelle.jpg|thumb|Statue of [[Louis IX of France|Louis IX]] at the [[Sainte Chapelle]], [[Paris]].]][[Louis IX of France]], also called Saint Louis, had a series of written exchanges with the Mongol rulers of the period, and went on crusade twice, once in 1248 and once in 1270. His contacts with the Mongols started in 1248 with the [[Seventh Crusade]]. After Louis left France and disembarked at [[Nicosia]] in [[Cyprus]], he was met on December 20, 1248, in [[Nicosia]] by two Mongol envoys, [[Nestorians]] from [[Mossul]] named David and Marc, bearing a letter from [[Eljigidei]], the Mongol ruler of [[Armenia]] proper and [[Persia]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Crisis in the Holy Land in 1260 |author=Peter Jackson|journal=The English Historical Review|volume=95|issue=376|date=July 1980|pages=481-513|url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8266(198007)95%3A376%3C481%3ATCITHL%3E2.0.CO%3B2-F}}</ref> They communicated a proposal to form an alliance against the Muslim [[Ayyubids]], whose Caliphate was based in [[Baghdad]].<ref>Grousset, p.523</ref> The medieval historian [[Jean de Joinville]] said about the communiques: {{quote|"Whilst the King was tarrying in Cyprus, the great King of the Tartars sent messengers to him, greeting him courteously, and bearing word, amongst other things, that he was ready to help him conquer the Holy Land and deliver Jerusalem out of the hand of the Saracens. The King received them most graciously, and sent in reply messengers of his own, who remained away two years, before they returned to him. Moreover the King sent to the King of the Tartars by the messengers a tent made in the style of a chapel, which cost a great deal, for it was made wholly of good fine scarlet cloth. And to entice them if possible into our faith, the King caused pictures to be inlaid in the said chapel, portraying the annunciation of Our Lady, and all the other points of the Creed. These things he sent them by two Preaching Friars, who knew Arabic, in order to show and teach them what they ought to believe."|"The Memoirs of the Lord of Joinville", Chap. V, Jean de Joinville.<ref> [http://www.ordotempli.org/memoirs_of_the_lord_of_joinville.htm The Memoirs of the Lord of Joinville]</ref>}} <!-- Tagging for deletion or moving to Wikiquote --> [[Image:Crusade damietta.jpg|thumb|[[Louis IX of France|Louis IX]] attacked [[Damietta]] in Egypt. <!-- can we get more details about the source of this image? -->]] Eljigidei was planning an attack on the Muslims in [[Baghdad]] in 1248, and sought assistance from Louis and his forces. According to the 13th century monk and historian [[Guillaume de Nangis]], Eljigidei suggested that King Louis should land in Egypt, while Eljigidei attacked Baghdad, in order to prevent the Saracens of Egypt and those of Syria from joining forces.<ref>"The Memoirs of the Lord of Joinville", Chap. V, [[Jean de Joinville]].[http://www.ordotempli.org/memoirs_of_the_lord_of_joinville.htm The Memoirs of the Lord of Joinville]</ref> Though at least one historian has criticized Louis as being "naive" in trusting the ambassadors, and Louis himself later admitted that he regretted the decision,<ref>Tyerman, p. 786</ref> Louis sent [[André de Longjumeau]], a Dominican priest, as an emissary to the Great Khan [[Güyük]] in [[Mongolia]]. However, Güyük died, from drink, before the emissary arrived at his court, and his widow [[Oghul Ghaimish]] simply gave the emissary a gift and a condescending letter to take back to King Louis,<ref>Runciman, p.260</ref> demanding that the king pay tribute to the Mongols.<ref>Tyerman, p. 798. "Louis's embassy under Andrew of Longjumeau had returned in 1251 carrying a demand from the Mongol regent, Oghul Qaimush, for annual tribute, not at all what the king had anticipated.</ref> Louis IX did go on to attack Egypt, starting with the rapid capture of the port of [[Damietta]] in June 1249.<ref>Tyerman, p. 787</ref> However, Güyük's early death made Eljigidei postpone operations until after the [[interregnum]]. Louis's attack did cause some disruption in the Muslim Ayyubid empire, especially as the current sultan was on his deathbed. But the march from Damietta towards Cairo through the [[Nile River Delta]] went slowly. During this time, the Ayyubid sultan died, and a sudden power shift took place, as the sultan's slave wife [[Shajar al-Durr]] set events in motion which were to make her Queen, and eventually place the Egyptian's slave army of the [[Mamluks]] in power. Louis eventually lost his army at the [[Battle of al Mansurah]] and was captured by the Egyptians. His release was eventually negotiated, in return for a ransom (some of which was a loan from the Templars), and the surrender of the city of Damietta.<ref>Tyerman, pp. 789-798</ref> [[Image:SempadLetter.JPG|thumb|14th century copy of the February 7, 1248, letter of Sempad to [[Henry I of Cyprus]] and [[Jean d'Ibelin]], stating that "If God hadn't brought the Tartars who then massacred the pagans, they [the Sarasins] would have been able to invade the whole land as far as the sea."<ref>"Le Royaume Armenien de Cilicie", p66</ref> The letter was also shown to Louis IX.]] In 1252, Louis attempted an alliance with the Egyptians, for the return of Jerusalem if the French assisted with the subduing of Damascus. And in 1253, Louis tried to seek allies from among both the Ismailian [[Assassins]] and the Mongols.<ref>Runciman, pp. 279-280</ref> Louis received word that the Mongol leader [[Sartaq]], son of [[Batu]], had converted to Christianity,<ref>Runciman, p.380</ref> While in Cyprus, he also saw a letter from [[Sempad]], brother of the Armenian ruler [[Hetoum I]], who, on an embassy to the Mongol court in Karakorum, was describing to the Western ruler a Central Asian realm of oasis with many Christians, generally of the Nestorian rite.<ref>Jean Richard, “Histoire des Croissades”, p. 376</ref> Louis dispatched an envoy to the Mongol court in the person of the Franciscan [[William of Rubruck]], who went to visit the Great Khan [[Möngke]] in [[Mongolia]]. William entered into a famous competition at the Mongol court, as the khan encouraged a formal debate between the Christians, Buddhists, and Muslims, to determine which faith was correct, as determined by three judges, one from each faith. The debate drew a large crowd, and as with most Mongol events, a great deal of alcohol was involved. As described by Jack Weatherford in his book ''Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World'': {{quote|No side seemed to convince the other of anything. Finally, as the effects of the alcohol became stronger, the Christians gave up trying to persuade anyone with logical arguments, and resorted to singing. The Muslims, who did not sing, responded by loudly reciting the [[Koran]] in an effort to drown out the Christians, and the Buddhists retreated into silent mediation. At the end of the debate, unable to convert or kill one another, they concluded the way most Mongol celebrations concluded, with everyone simply too drunk to continue.|Jack Weatherford, ''Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World'', p. 173}} But even after the competition, Möngke replied only with a letter to William in 1254, asking for the King's submission to Mongol authority.<ref>J. Richard, 1970, p. 202., Encyclopedia Iranica, [http://www.encyclopediairanica.com/articles/v10f2/v10f216a.html]</ref> His Crusade a failure, Louis returned to France in 1254, due to the death of his mother and regent, [[Blanche de Castille]]. In the early 1250s, the Latin emperor of Constantinople [[Baldwin II of Constantinople|Baldwin II]] also sent an embassy to Mongolia in the person of the knight Baudoin de Hainaut, who, following his return, met in Constantinople with the departing William of Rubruck.<ref>Jean Richard, p. 377</ref> ===Sartaq's embassy=== The Mongol Il-Khan ruler [[Sartaq Khan]], reputed to be a Christian convert, is said to have sent an embassy to the West as early as 1254. It seems however that the embassy was intercepted in Sicily by king [[Manfred of Sicily|Manfred]], who was an ally of the Mamluks and was under attack from a Crusade launched by the Pope to deprive him of his kingdom. The embassy was ultimately sent back to the Levant.<ref>Jackson, p.166</ref>
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