Waiting for the Train That Would Never Come: The Fifth Crusade
Image: The Crusaders' maritime charge against the Tower of Damietta, Egypt The main enemy of a string of Crusader kingdoms spread along the coast of Palestine was the Mamluk Sultanate based in Egypt. The Fifth Crusade was spearheaded against the hostile power in hope to wrest control of the Holy Land. The stalemate stirred unjustified hopes for the global assault against the Muslim world. King David, Prester John's successor, was destined to play one of the leading roles in this campaign. The following extract describes the confused ambiance prevaling among the Crusaders who pinned their hopes on a non-existent savior: " After yielding Jerusalem to Salah ad-Din, better known in the West as Saladin, in the wake of the battle of Hattin, the Latin dominion in the Outremer was reduced to a narrow coastal strip stretching from Jaffa to Antioch. The costly enterprise was in constant jeopardy of extinction. Full of determination to turn the tide in the ...