Editing Eighth Crusade (section)

==Situation in the Holy Land==

Despite the failure of the [[Seventh Crusade]], which ended in the capture of [[Louis IX of France]] by the [[Mamluk Sultanate|Mamluks]], the king did not lose interest in crusading. He continued to send financial aid and military support to the settlements in [[Outremer]] from 1254 to 1266, with the objective of eventually returning to the Holy Land.
[[File:C croisade7 prisonnier1.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Louis' capture at the [[Battle of Fariskur (1250)]].]]

===The Kingdom of Jerusalem===
The Seventh Crusade officially ended on 24 April 1254 with the departure of Louis IX of France from the Holy Land. He left [[Geoffrey of Sergines]] as his representative with  the official post of [[Officers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem#Seneschals|seneschal]] to the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]]. The ''[[Officers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem#Bailiffs|bailli]]'' of the kingdom was [[John of Ibelin (jurist)|John of Ibelin]], succeeding his cousin [[John of Arsuf]] in 1254. John of Arsuf returned to Cyprus where he was advising [[Plaisance of Antioch]], the regent to [[Hugh II of Cyprus]] who had claim to both kingdoms––Cyprus and Jerusalem. The death of [[Conrad IV of Germany|Conrad II of Jerusalem]] in May 1254 had given the nominal crown of Jerusalem to his two-year-old son [[Conradin]].<ref>Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "[[wikisource:1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Conradin|Conradin]]". ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. '''6''' (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 968–969.</ref> Prior to his departure, Louis had arranged for a truce with Damascus, to last through October 1256, reflecting the fear that [[an-Nasir Yusuf]], the emir of Damascus and Aleppo, had of the Mongols. Because of this, he had no wish for war with the Franks. [[Aybak]], the sultan of Egypt, also wished to avoid war and in 1255 made a ten-year truce with the Franks. [[Jaffa]] was expressly excluded from the truce, with the sultan wishing to secure it as a Palestinian port. The established frontier was hardly secure. In January 1256, the Mamluk governor of Jerusalem led an expedition in March to punish a band of Frankish raiders, he was defeated and killed. Aybak subsequently made a new treaty with Damascus that was mediated by caliph [[al-Musta'sim]]. Both Muslim leaders renewed their truces with the Franks, this time to also cover Palestine and Jaffa.{{sfn|Gibb|1969|pp=712–714|loc=The Ayyubids and the Mamluks}}

===Urban IV===
Latin patriarch [[Robert of Nantes]] died in 1254, having been in captivity with Louis IX during the Seventh Crusade. The new patriarch appointed by pope [[Pope Alexander IV|Alexander IV]] was [[Pope Urban IV|James Pantaléon]], then [[bishop of Verdun]] and later appointed as Alexander's successor, taking the name [[Pope Urban IV|Urban IV.]] He was experienced in the [[Prussian Crusade]]s, having helped negotiate the [[Treaty of Christburg]] in 1249. He was appointed patriarch in December 1255, and only reached Acre in the summer of 1260. Consequently, the kingdom faced the continued threats from the Muslims and Mongols, as well as internal strife, without the benefit of a senior patriarch.<ref>Douglas Raymund Webster (1912). "[[wikisource:Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Pope Urban IV|Pope Urban IV]]". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). ''Catholic Encyclopedia''. '''15.''' New York: Robert Appleton Company.</ref>

===Conflict over Saint Sabas===

In addition to the Muslim wars between the [[Mamluk Sultanate|Mamluks]] and [[Ayyubid dynasty|Ayyubids]], and the [[Mongol invasions of the Levant]], the Outremer states had to contend with the various Italian merchants engaged in the [[War of Saint Sabas]]. The three rival Italian cities of [[Genoa]], [[Venice]] and [[Pisa]] maintained a presence in every Outremer seaport and from these, dominated Mediterranean trade. This commerce was equally beneficial to the Muslim emirs and both sides showed a willingness to sign treaties partially based on the fear of interrupting these sources of profit. Trouble between Pisa and Genoa had long been brewing and in 1250, a Genoese merchant was murdered by a Venetian, resulting in street fighting in Acre. When Louis finally returned home to Europe in 1254, trouble again broke out. In 1256, the commercial rivalry between the Venetian and Genoese merchant colonies erupted over possession of the monastery of Saint Sabas in Acre. The Genoese, assisted by the Pisan merchants, attacked the Venetian quarter and burned their ships, but the Venetians drove them out.{{sfn|Marshall|1994|pp=217–231|loc=Sieges}}

The Venetians were then expelled from Tyre by [[Philip of Montfort, Lord of Tyre|Philip of Montfort]]. The Venetians were supported by [[John of Arsuf]], [[John of Ibelin (jurist)|John of Jaffa]], [[John II of Beirut]], the [[Knights Templar]], the [[Teutonic Order|Teutonic Knights]] and the Pisans. The [[Knights Hospitaller]] supported the Genoese. In 1257, the Venetians conquered the monastery and destroyed its fortifications, although they were unable to completely expel the Genoese. The Genoese quarter was blockaded, who were then resupplied by the Hospitallers, whose complex was nearby. Philip of Montfort also sent food from Tyre. In August 1257, John of Arsuf tried to end the war by granting commercial rights in Acre to the [[Republic of Ancona]], an Italian ally of Genoa, but aside from Philip of Montfort and the Hospitallers, the rest of the nobles continued to support Venice.{{sfn|Runciman|1969|pp=568–570|loc=The War of Saint Sabas}}

===Plaisance returns to Acre===

[[Plaisance of Antioch|Plaisance of Cyprus]] was both queen of Cyprus and regent to Jerusalem. In February 1258, she and her five-year-old son, [[Hugh II of Cyprus]], came to [[Tripoli, Lebanon|Tripoli]] to meet her brother [[Bohemond VI of Antioch]], who escorted her to Acre. The [[High Court of Jerusalem|Haute Cour of Jerusalem]] was convened and Bohemond asked it to confirm the claim of Hugh II as next heir after [[Conradin]], long absent from the kingdom. It was requested that Hugh be recognized as the royal power with Plaisance as regent. Bohemond had hoped that his sister's presence would still the civil war. The [[House of Ibelin|Ibelins]] recognized the claims of Hugh and Plaisance, along with the Templars and Teutonic Knights. The Hospitallers nevertheless declared that no decision was possible in absence of Conradin. Thus the royal family was drawn into the civil war. The Venetians supported Plaisance and her son. Genoa, the Hospitallers and Philip of Montfort supported Conradin, despite the fact that they were in the past bitter opponents of [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]]. A majority vote acknowledged Plaisance as regent. John of Arsuf resigned as ''[[Officers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem#Bailiffs|bailli]],'' only to be immediately reappointed. She and Bohemond then returned to Cyprus, instructing her ''bailli'' to act decisively against the rebels.{{sfn|Runciman|1954|pp=284–285|loc=Queen Plaisance at Acre (1258)}}

The problems came to a head before the new Latin patriarch could arrive in Acre. While James Pantaleon had shown great ability in dealing with the Prussians, the situation in the Holy Land presented a much larger problem. He supported Plaisance, appealing to Alexander IV to take action. The pope summoned delegates from the three republics to his court at [[Viterbo]] and ordered an immediate armistice. The Venetian and Pisan diplomats were to go to Syria on a Genoese ship, and the Genoese on a Venetian ship. The envoys set out in July 1258, actually after the major conflicts had occurred. Genoa had sent a fleet under admiral Rosso della Turca, arriving off Tyre in June and there joining the deployed Genoese squadrons. On 23 June, a fleet set sail from Tyre, while Philip of Montfort's soldiers marched down the coast. The Venetians and Pisan had a smaller force under [[Lorenzo Tiepolo]], who was not a military man and later elected [[Doge of Venice]]. The decisive [[Battle of Acre (1258)|Battle of Acre]] took place on 24 June 1258, with the Genoese retreating in disorder to Tyre. Philip's advance was halted by the Acrean militias, and the Genoese quarter within the city was overrun. Consequently, the Genoese abandoned Acre and established their headquarters at Tyre.{{sfn|Runciman|1954|pp=285-286|loc=The Battle of Acre, 1258}}

In April 1259, the pope sent a legate to the East, Thomas Agni, then [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Bethlehem in the Holy Land|bishop of Bethlehem]] and later Latin patriarch, with orders to resolve the quarrel. About the same time the ''bailli'' John of Arsuf died and Plaisance came to Acre and appointed [[Geoffrey of Sergines|Geoffrey of Sargines]] as ''bailli.'' He worked with Agni to secure an armistice. In January 1261, in a meeting between the Haute Cour and delegates of the Italians, an agreement was reached. The Genoese maintained their headquarters at Tyre and the Venetians and Pisans theirs at Acre. The warring nobles and Military Orders were also reconciled. But the Italians never regarded the arrangement as final, with their war soon beginning again, to the detriment of all the commerce and the shipping along the Syrian coast, with [[War of Saint Sabas#Naval skirmishing, 1261–1270|naval skirmishes]] through 1270.{{sfn|Richard|1979|pp=364–406|loc=The war of St Sabas}}

Geoffrey of Sargines restored some semblance of order to the kingdom. His authority did not however extend into the [[County of Tripoli]]. There, Geoffrey's vassal, Henry of Jebail, was at war with Bohemond VI. Henry's cousin [[Bertrand Embriaco]] had attacked Bohemond in Tripoli itself despite the fact the Bertrand was regent to daughter [[Lucia, Countess of Tripoli|Lucia of Tripoli]]. In 1258, the barons marched on Tripoli, laying siege to the city where Bohemond was residing. Bohemond was defeated and wounded by Bertrand and the Templars sent men to rescue him. One day, Bertrand was attacked by unknown farmers and killed. He was beheaded and his head sent as a gift to Bohemond. No one doubted that Bohemond had inspired the murder. The rebels retreated to [[Byblos|Jebail]] and there was now a blood-feud between Antioch and the Embriaco family.{{sfn|Runciman|1954|pp=287–288|loc=Bohemond in Tripoli}}

===The Byzantines recapture Constantinople===
The inconclusive resolution of the War of Saint Sabas had implications beyond Syria. The [[Latin Empire|Latin Empire of Constantinople]] had prospered with the help of Italian trade. Venice had holdings in both Constantinople and the Aegean islands, and so had a particular interest in the success of the empire. To counter that, Genoa actively supported [[Michael VIII Palaiologos|Michael VIII Palaeologus]], emperor of [[Empire of Nicaea|Nicaea]]. Michael  laid the foundations for the recovery of Byzantium in 1259 by his victory at the [[Battle of Pelagonia]] where [[William of Villehardouin]], Prince of [[Principality of Achaea|Achaea]], was captured with all his barons and obliged to cede the fortresses that dominated the eastern half of the peninsula. In March 1261, Michael signed a treaty with the Genoese, giving them preferential treatment throughout his dominions, present and future. On 25 July, with the help of the Genoese, his troops entered Constantinople. The Latin Empire, born from the [[Fourth Crusade]], was dissolved.{{sfn|Runciman|1954|pp=286–287|loc=The Byzantines Recapture Constantinople}}

===Regency of Cyprus and Jerusalem===
Plaisance died in September 1261. Her son [[Hugh II of Cyprus]], then eight years old but with claims to the thrones of Cyprus and Jerusalem, required a regent. Hugh II's father [[Henry I of Cyprus]] had had two sisters. The eldest was [[Mary of Lusignan, Countess of Brienne|Marie of Lusignan]] who had married [[Walter IV of Brienne]], dying young and leaving a son [[Hugh of Brienne]]. The younger, [[Isabella of Cyprus]], was married to [[Henry of Antioch]], brother of [[Bohemond V of Antioch]]. Their son [[Hugh III of Cyprus]], was older than his cousin, and Isabella had raised both. Hugh of Brienne, though next heir to the throne, was unwilling to compete against his aunt and her son for the regency. After some deliberation, the High Court of Cyprus appointed Hugh III as regent. The [[High Court of Jerusalem|Haute Cour]] was given more time to consider the matter, and it was not until the spring of 1263 that Isabella came with her husband to Acre. She was accepted as regent ''de facto,'' but they refused to give her an oath of allegiance. That could only be done if Conradin were present. Geoffrey of Sargines resigned the office of ''bailli,'' which Isabella then gave to her husband, and she returned without him to Cyprus.{{sfn|Runciman|1954|pp=288–289|loc=Hugh of Cyprus, Regent of Jerusalem}}

Isabella died in Cyprus in 1264 and the regency of Jerusalem was again vacant. Hugh III of Cyprus claimed it but a counterclaim was now put in by Hugh of Brienne. He argued that the custom of France that claim of the son of an elder sister took precedence over the son of a younger, no matter which cousin was older. The jurists of Outremer rejected this argument and ruled that the decisive factor was kinship to the last holder of the office. As Isabella had been accepted as the last regent, her son Hugh III took precedence over her nephew. The nobles and high officers of state unanimously accepted him and provided the homage that had been denied to his mother. Importantly, Hugh III was recognized by [[Hugues de Revel]] and [[Thomas Bérard]], the Grand Masters of the Hospital and the Temple. He did not appoint a formal ''bailli,'' but the government of Acre was entrusted once more to Geoffrey of Sargines.{{sfn|Runciman|1954|pp=289–290|loc=Hugh III of Cyprus}}