Battle of Mansura
The Battle of Mansura, fought in 1250, was a significant conflict during the Seventh Crusade, marked by Louis IX of France's invasion of Egypt in response to the earlier sack of Jerusalem in 1244. After successfully capturing the city of Damietta in June 1249, Louis IX aimed to advance to Cairo but faced delays due to the Nile's summer flooding, which allowed Egyptian forces to gather reinforcements at Mansura. The battle commenced on December 21, 1249, when the crusaders attempted to cross the Bahr al-Saghir river. Despite initial attempts to build a bridge and a successful flanking maneuver, the crusaders faced fierce resistance from the Egyptian army, equipped with advanced weaponry such as Greek fire.
The conflict escalated over eight weeks, resulting in a stalemate until the Egyptian naval forces disrupted the crusaders' supply lines. As disease and famine ravaged Louis’s army, he ultimately chose to retreat, leading to the surrender of the crusader forces on April 6, 1250. This defeat had far-reaching implications, effectively halting significant European military intervention in the Near East and facilitating the Muslim reconquest of the Holy Land. The Battle of Mansura is often viewed as a pivotal moment in the struggle between Christian and Muslim forces during the Crusades.
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Subject Terms
Battle of Mansura
Type of action: Ground battle in the Seventh Crusade
Date: December, 1249-April 6, 1250
Location: Nile delta, Egypt
Combatants: Crusaders vs. Egyptians
Principal commanders:French, Louis IX (1214–1270), Robert of Artois
Result: The Ayyūbids of Egypt decisively defeated the Seventh Crusade
Responding to the sack of Jerusalem in 1244, Louis IX of France invaded Egypt with a large crusader army, capturing Damietta on June 6, 1249. Summer flooding of the Nile delayed his planned advance to Cairo, allowing the Egyptians to muster reinforcements at Mansura on the south side of the Bahr al-Saghir branch of the Nile.
When the inundation had receded, the crusaders marched for Cairo, reaching the Muslim army at Mansura on December 21. For six weeks, the crusaders attempted to build an earthen bridge to cross the Bahr al-Saghir but were repeatedly thwarted by strong Egyptian resistance with Greek fire projected from trebuchets.
Discovering a ford downstream, the crusaders crossed the river undetected on February 8, 1250. Instead of waiting for the entire army, Robert of Artois, commander of the vanguard, launched a charge in hope of catching the Egyptians by surprise. He succeeded, but the Egyptians drew his knights into an ambush in the narrow streets of Mansura, where they were massacred. When Louis’s main force crossed the river, the Egyptians rallied, fighting the crusaders to a standstill in a fierce battle. For eight weeks, the stalemate continued, until the reinforced Egyptian Navy cut the crusaders’ river supply lines in late March.
His army overcome by dysentery, typhoid, and famine, Louis made the decision to retreat. After a day’s march under severe pressure from the Egyptians, the crusader army surrendered on April 6, 1250.
Significance
The defeat of the Europeans by the Egyptians ended major European intervention in the Near East and paved the way for Muslim reconquest of the Holy Land.
Bibliography
Maqrizi. A History of the Ayyubid Sultans of Egypt. Boston: Twayne, 1980.
Richard, J. Saint Louis. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
Thorau, Peter. The Lion of Egypt: Sultan Baybars I. London: Longman, 1987.