Editing Eighth Crusade (section)

===The preparation for the Crusade===
Louis IX never abandoned the idea of the liberation of Jerusalem, but at some point he decided to begin his new Crusade with a military campaign against Tunis. According to his confessor, [[Geoffrey of Beaulieu]], Louis was convinced that Muhammad I al-Mustansir was ready to convert to Christianity. The 13th-century historian [[Saba Malaspina]] believed that Charles had persuaded Louis to attack Tunis because he wanted to secure the payment of the tribute that their rulers had paid to former Sicilian monarchs. The precise motivation behind the decision is unknown, but it is believed that Louis made the choice as early as 1268.{{sfn|Strayer|1969|pp=512–513|loc=Louis' decision to attack Tunis}}

The Crusade was set to sail in early summer 1270 in ships of Genoese (19 vessels) and Marseillois (20 vessels) origin. Louis' initial plan was to descend on the coast of Outremer by way of Cyprus. However, the final plan was developed in 1269, wherein the fleet would first descend on Tunis. While Louis had limited knowledge of Africa, this objective was the only one the met the religious needs of Louis and political aims of Charles. Financing was, as usual, a challenge. Because of the lack of enthusiasm for the expedition, Louis needed to bear much of the burden. Clement IV had also ceded a tenth of the church's income in Navarre to [[Theobald II of Navarre]] to support the Crusade. The prior of [[Roncesvalles]] and the dean of [[Tudela, Navarre|Tudela]] were to oversee the collection of the tenth. The preaching of the Crusade in Navarre was primarily undertaken by the Franciscans and Dominicans of [[Pamplona]].{{sfn|Cazel|1969|pp=116–149|loc=Financing the Crusades}}