2744

June 23. Damietta. Jehanz Sarrazinz, chamberlanz of the king of France writes to Nicholas Herode. He reports that the king and queen, the count of Artois (Artoiz), the count of Anjou and his wife and he himself are all well at the city of Damietta which surrendered to the Christians on the Sunday a fortnight after Pentecost (6 June). The royal party had embarked from Aigues-Mortes on 28 August (1248) and arrived in Cyprus on 17 September. They landed at Limecon ahead of the main fleet. At Christmas, Eljigdei (El Cheltay), one of the granz princes des Tartarinz (Mongols) and a Christian, sent a message to the king at Nicosia. The king sent the Dominican, Andrew of Longjumeau (Andrieu) who recognized the envoys and who acted as an interpreter: many leading Mongols (Tartars) had been baptized; they would deploy their forces in support of the king and of Christendom against the caliph of Baghdad (Baudas) as they wished to avenge the shame inflicted of Our Lord by the Khwarazmians (Coramin) and others. The king was to invade Egypt while they would attack Baghdad (Baudas), thereby preventing any co-operation. The king sent envoys to Eljigdei (El Cheltay) and to the soverain seigneur des Tartarinz (Mongols) named Güyüg (Kyoquem). He was told it would take six months to reach Güyüg (Kyoquem) but that Eljigdei (El Cheltay) was not too far away, being in Persia (Perse) which he had destroyed and subjected to the Mongols (Tartarinz). The envoys set off a fortnight after Candlemas (16 February): Fr Andrieu de l’ordre de Saint Jaque, and another brother, Jehanz Goderiche and another clerk from Poissi, Hesberz li Sommelierz and Gileberz de Senz. Part way through Lent the king heard that they were proceeding though unbelievers’ territory on their way to the khan (maistre des Tartarinz). The king and his whole force – over 2,500 knights and 5,000 crossbowmen and many more mounted and footmen – set sail from Limassol and other Cypriot ports 13 May, bound for Damietta. They were at sea for 22 days thanks to contrary weather and arrived off Damietta 4 June. They landed the next day. The king, accompanied by the legate, Jehan de Biaumont, Mahieuz de Marli, and Jeuffroi de Serginnes landed in a barge carrying the gonfanon of St Denis. They were opposed by a force of at least 2,000 Turkish cavalry, but nevertheless made good their landing. After a fierce encounter the Turks retreated to Damietta leaving getting on for 500 dead including three amirs as against hardly any Christian losses. Li Rous, who had been the captain in the battle before Gadres when the count of Bar and the count of Montfort had been defeated and captured, was killed. The following Sunday (6 June) a Muslim came to the king to say that Damietta had been abandoned. The Christians occupied the town, and on 12 June the king made a formal entrance. There is no chance of moving on until 1 November (All Saints) because the flun de Paradis that is called the Nile (Nil) is in flood and so it is not possible to go to Alexandra (Alixandre), Cairo (Babiloinne) or Kahaire. What the sultan is doing is not known; the only problem comes in the form of marauding Bedouin. The lesson of thirty years previously when the Christians took the city after much toil and lost it again when they were trapped by the floods has been learnt.