Seventh Crusade

Seventh Crusade
	Part of the Crusades
	; Louis IX during the Seventh Crusade
Date	1248–1254
Location	Egypt
Result	Muslim victory
Territorial; changes	Status quo ante bellum
Belligerents
Kingdom of France; Kingdom of Jerusalem; Knights Templar; Knights Hospitaller; Kingdom of Navarre	Ayyubids; Bahris
Commanders and leaders
Louis IX of France (POW); Alphonse of Poitiers; Charles I of Anjou (POW); William of Villehardouin; Robert I of Artois †; Guillaume de Sonnac †; Renaud de Vichiers; Theobald II of Navarre; John II of Soissons (POW); John of Ibelin; Hugh XI of Lusignan †; Raoul II of Coucy †; Jean de Ronay †; William Longespée †;	As-Salih Ayyub #; Al-Muazzam Turanshah; Shajar al-Durr; Faris ad-Din Aktai; Qutuz; Fakhr ad-Din †; Aybak; Baibars;
Strength
15,000 infantry; 2,400–2,800 knights; 5,000 crossbowmen	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Heavy Christian army mostly destroyed or captured.; Louis IX captured.;	Heavy Muslim armies destroyed in battles fought.;

The Seventh Crusade (1248–1254) was the first of the two Crusades led by Louis IX of France. Also known as the Crusade of Louis IX to the Holy Land, it aimed to reclaim the Holy Land by attacking Egypt, the main seat of Muslim power in the Near East. The Crusade was conducted in response to setbacks in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, beginning with the loss of the Holy City in 1244, and was preached by Innocent IV in conjunction with a crusade against emperor Frederick II, Baltic rebellions and Mongol incursions. After initial success, the crusade ended in defeat, with most of the army – including the king – captured by the Muslims.

Following his release, Louis stayed in the Holy Land for four years, doing what he could towards the re-establishment of the kingdom. The struggle between the papacy and Holy Roman Empire paralyzed Europe, with few answering Louis' calls for help following his capture and ransoming. The one answer was the Shepherds’ Crusade, started to rescue the king and meeting with disaster. In 1254, Louis returned to France having concluded some important treaties. The second of Louis' Crusades was his equally unsuccessful 1270 expedition to Tunis, the Eighth Crusade, where he died of dysentery shortly after the campaign landed.