Editing Amalric, King of Jerusalem (section)

====Attempted conquest of Egypt====
William returned to the kingdom in late 1167 and was astonished to find that, by 20 October, King Amalric had departed on another expedition to Egypt without the Byzantines. He did not know the reason for it: he recorded the rumor that Shawar, the vizier of Egypt, had allied with Nur ad-Din, but did not himself believe in it and suggested that the vizier had faithfully kept his treaty with Amalric.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=247}} Ibn al-Athir depicts the king as a reluctant invader, pressured by "the Frankish knights and policy makers".{{sfn|Barber|2012|pp=248-249}} Amalric struck a deal with the Hospitallers, who pledged more men than ever before and to whom the king in return promised a vast lordship from Bilbais to the coast as well as the first pick of the spoils and the best house or palace after the king's in all the major cities of Egypt. William names the [[grand master of the Knights Hospitaller|order's master]], [[Gilbert of Assailly]], as the driving force, if not the mastermind, behind the campaign. The Templars refused to participate; William speculates that they either objected to betraying Shawar or to following the lead of the Hospitallers, their rivals.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=249}} Barber suggests that the Templar master, Bertrand of Blancfort, may have also resented the king's execution of some of his knights.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=249}}
[[File:Peluse.jpg|thumb|Amalric's reign saw multiple Christian attacks on Egypt.]]
Bilbais was captured and plundered and its inhabitants massacred in 1168 after a three-day siege. Amalric then moved onto Cairo, but Shawar burned it down to prevent the Franks from seizing it. Unable to resist, Shawar offered huge sums of money to Amalric while simultaneously petitioning Nur ad-Din for help. The Christian fleet arrived, took [[Tinnis]], and blocked the Nile below Cairo. Shawar convinced Amalric to retreat 
a few miles so that Shawar could collect the money he had promised to the king; the vizier actually worked to strengthen the city's defenses and the population's morale. Ibn al-Athir reports that the inhabitants of Cairo grew resolute when they heard about the fate of the people of Bilbais. William believes that the city could have been taken but for the greed of the king, encouraged by his seneschal, [[Miles of Plancy]]: if they had taken the city by [[storming]], they would have had to share the plunder, but all the tribute money would go to the king.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=251}}

On 2 December Shirkuh set out from Damascus with a large army and ample provisions provided by Nur ad-Din. Amalric returned to Bilbais, but Shirkuh bypassed him and encamped on the other side of the Nile. Amalric judged it too risky to attack him. On 2 January he set out for his kingdom with his army. Not only was the expedition a complete failure, but it also delivered Egypt to Shirkuh: Shawar was soon killed, and the caliph appointed Shirkuh to succeed him.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=252}} Amalric was undeterred and in mid-1169 started planning his fifth attempt to take Egypt.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=252}} He appealed for help in letters sent to Emperor [[Frederick Barbarossa]], Kings Louis VII of France and [[Henry II of England]], Queen [[Margaret of Navarre|Margaret of Sicily]], and Counts [[Philip I of Flanders]], [[Theobald V of Blois]], and [[Henry I of Champagne]]. Patriarch Amalric and Archbishop Ernesius, who were carrying the letters, were driven back by a severe storm at sea.{{sfn|Runciman|1952|p=384}} He sent a new embassy, consisting of the [[archbishop of Tyre]], [[Frederick de la Roche]], and the [[bishop of Banyas]], [[John (bishop of Banyas)|John]], but to no avail.{{sfn|Barber|2012|p=252}}