History of the Crusades

the Crusades Episode 103, the Last Crusades.

Hello again.

Last week things didn't go so well for the Latin Christians in the Middle East

with an entire crusader state, the Principality of Antioch, being effectively wiped off the map following an invasion by the Egyptian

Mamluk Sultan Babars. The Latin Christians of Europe had been viewing events in the Holy Land with concern for some time,

and with the fall of Antioch it was obvious that some urgent assistance was required.

More specifically, what was needed of course was another crusade.

As far back as August 1266, Pope Clement the 4th had begun to call for a new crusade.

England had been racked by Civil War, but that had come to an end in 1265, and with

King Louis IX's ambitious brother Charles of Anjou, securing for himself the Sicilian crown in 1266,

the attentions of the people in Europe could finally focus on problems in the Middle East.

King Louis of France, now aged in his early 50s, jumped at the chance to redeem the failure of his ill-fated previous

crusade, and on the 25th of March 1267 once again made a public vow to take up the cross.

Also raising their hands to mount a crusade were Lord Edward of England and King James the first of Aragon.

Lord Edward was the son of the aging King Henry III of England and would later become King Edward

the first.

Against his father's wishes, Lord Edward made his crusading vow in 1268, and many of the noble men

of England, keen to put the trauma of the recent Civil War behind them followed his example.

Despite the English and Spanish involvement, the bulk of the Crusaders came from France.

Unfortunately, since I'd like to end our look at the last Crusades on a high note,

all three expeditions, the French, the Spanish and the English, were

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