vii crusade was launched by french king
lu the 9th in the year 1248 he decided
to invade Egypt and use the captured
lands as a base to eventually attack and
reconquered Jerusalem the city had been
reconquered by Muslim forces in 1244
after numerous transfers of ownership
over the decades after spending the
winter on the island of Cyprus his fleet
landed in Egypt the next year after some
initial successes such as the capture of
the port city of dami etta in June 12:49
Lewis forces became bogged down for six
months due to the flooding of the Nile
River which gave the Islamic forces time
to regroup
when Lewis army eventually made its way
south towards Cairo they were goaded by
the enemy forces into attacking the city
of al-mansouri through the open city
gate in February 1250 believing the city
had been deserted the Crusader army
became trapped and was attacked on all
sides taking heavy losses it was during
this conflict On February 8th 1250 that
a knight named Jean de varville was
engaged in the battle against the
Saracens he was a close confidant of
King Louis the ninth and often advised
him in his affairs in his book
chronicles of the Crusades Jue anvils
first-hand account of medieval combat is
one of the few ever recorded in history
in addition his writings are also one of
the most definitive contemporary
accounts of the Crusades after much of
the forest became trapped in al-mansouri
and began to flee from the area viel
recounts I and my Knights decided that
we should attack some Turks who were
loading their baggage in their camp to
our left and we fell upon them while we
were driving them through their camp I
perceived a Saracen who was manning his
horse as one of his knights was holding
the bridle at the moment when he had his
two hands on the saddle to mount
I gave him my lance under the armpits
and laid him dead when his knight saw
that he left his lord in the horse and
struck me with his lance as I passed
between the two shoulders holding me so
pressed down that I could not draw the
sword on my belt I had therefore to draw
the sword attached to my horse and when
he saw that my sword was so drawn
he withdrew his Lance and left me when I
and my Knights came out of the camp we
found some six thousand Turks as we
reckoned who had left their quarters and
retreated into the fields when they saw
us they came running upon us and killed
my lord hue of tree Chatel who was with
me bearing a banner on my night sets
first to our horses and went to deliver
my Lord Raoul who was with me and whom
they had struck to the ground while I
was returning the Turks pressed upon me
with their lances my horse knelt under
the weight and I fell forward over the
horses ears I got up as soon as I could
with my shield at my neck and my sword
in my hand and my lord ever art of Sivir
a god have him and Grace who was one of
my people came to me and said that we
should draw off near to a ruined house
and there await the king who is coming
as we were going thither part on foot
and part mounted a great route of Turks
came rushing upon us and borne me to the
ground and went over me and caused my
shield to fly from my neck when they had
passed on my lord ever ark came back to
me and led me fence and we went to the
walls of the ruined house and thither
returned to us my lord who of ecoo my
lord Frederick of Lupe my Lord Reynaud
of men in court the Turks attacked us on
all sides some of them entered into the
ruined house and pricked us with their
Lance's from above then my Knights Toma
to hold their bridles and so I did for
fear the horses should run away and they
defended themselves right manfully and
afterwards received great praise from
all of the right worthy men of the host
both those who were there at witness the
deed and those who heard tell thereof
then did my lord Hugh received three
Lance wounds in the face and my Lord
Raoul and my Lord Frederick received a
lance wound between the shoulders and
the wound was so large that the blood
flowed from his body as from the
bunghole of a cask my lord ever art was
struck by a sword in the middle of his
face and such sort that his nose fell
over his lip then it came to my mind to
think upon my lord st. James so that I
prayed fair Lord st. James give me help
and relief in this hour need as soon as
I had made this my prayer my lord ever
art said to me Lord if you think that
neither I nor my heirs or incur reproach
therein I will go and fetch you help
from the
of Anjou whom I see in the midst of
yonder field and I said to him my lord
Everard me seems that you would earn
yourself great honor if he went for help
to save our lives and your own life to
is in great jeopardy and I spoke truth
for he would die of that wound he sought
counsel of all of the Knights who are
among us and all advised as I did when
he heard this he asked me to let go of
my hold of his horse which I held by the
bridle with the others and I did so he
came to the count of Anjou and begged
him to relieve me and my Knights a man
of note who was with the count of Anjou
who tried to dissuade him but he said he
would do what my knight asked of him so
he turned his bridle to come to our help
and several of his sergeants
to set Spurs to their horses when the
Saracen saw them coming they left us in
front of the sergeant's Road my lord
Peter of uber Eve with this sword in his
fist and when he saw the Saracens had
left us he charged full into the
Saracens who held my lord Raoul and
rescued him sore wounded as I was there
on foot with my Knights wounded as I
have said that King came up with his
battalions and a great sound of shouting
and trumpets and cymbals and he hailed
on a raised causeway never have I seen
so fair a night for he's seen by the
head and shoulders to tower above his
people and on his head was a gilded helm
and in his hand a sword of Amon yah when
he halted there the good Knights whom he
had in his division and whom I have
already named to you hurled themselves
against the Turks
and with them several other valiant
Knights of his and you must know that
this was a very fine passage of arms for
in this battle no one drew bow or
crossbow it was a barrel of Mason's
sword between the Turks and our people
all intermingled as we move forward to
the Crusader retreat from Alma and Sura
Juwan viel recounts we came to a little
bridge that was over the streamlet and I
said to my constable let us stay here
and guard this little bridge for if we
abandon it the Turks will fall on that
came from this side and if our people
are attacked from two sides it will go
hard with them and we did so and it was
told to us afterwards that we should
have all been lost that day save for the
king
for the Lord of Kourtney and my Lord
John of Salian a told me that six Turks
had come to the Kings Bridal and we're
leading him away captive and that he
alone delivered himself strutting at
them great strokes with his sword and
when his people saw how the king was
defending himself
they took courage and many of them
abandoned the thought of taking flight
across the river and drew to the Kings
side to help him right straight upon us
who were keeping the little bridge came
to count Peter of Brittany writing from
Mansura and he had been wounded with a
sword across his face so that the blood
ran into his mouth he wrote upon a fine
well than horse he had thrown the reins
on the poem of the saddle and held it
with his two hands so that his people
who were behind and pressed sorely upon
him might not hustle him out of the path
to the little bridge well did it seem
how lightly he held them for as he spat
the blood out of his mouth he said full
often ha by God's head have you ever
seen such riffraff behind his men came
the count of swan song and my lord Peter
of new veal and they both had received
many blows during that day when they had
passed and the Turks saw that they were
guarding the bridge and turned our faces
towards them they ceased from following
after count Peter and his people I came
to the count of swansong whose first
cousin I had married and said Lord I
think he would do well if he remained to
keep this little bridge for if we
abandoned the little bridge those Turks
whom you see before you will rush over
it and so shall the King be a sail both
in front and in rear and he asked
whether if he remained I would remain
with him and I replied yes right
willingly when the constable heard this
he told me not to move from fence till
he returned and that he would go and
bring us help there I remained on my
thick-set stallion and the count of SWA
saw remained on my right and my lord
Peter of Newville on my left then behold
there came a Turk from the direction of
the Kings troops which were behind us
and struck My Lord Peter from behind
with the mace so that he laid him on his
horse's neck with the blow that he gave
and then sprang across the bridge and
rushed among his own people when the
Turks saw that we would not abandon the
little bridge that passed over the
streamlet and set themselves between the
streamlet and the river as we had done
to go downwards and we drew towards them
in such a manner as to be ready to
charge them whether they wish to go
towards the
or to pass over the little bridge in
front of us were two of the Kings
sergeant's of whom the one was called
William of Boone and the other john of
Gamache in the Turks who had come
between the streamlet and the river
brought a large number of Charles on
foot
who pelted them with lumps of Earth but
were never able to force them back upon
us at last they brought a trail on foot
who three times through Greek fire at
them once William of Boone received the
pot of Greek fire on his torch for if
the fire had caught any buzz garments he
could have been burned alive we were all
covered with the darts that failed to
hit the sergeants now it chanced that I
found a Saracens gambeson lined with toe
I turned the open side towards me and
made a shield of the gambeson which did
me good service for I was only wounded
by their darts in five places and my
horse in fifteen and it chanced again
that one of my burgesses of a meal
brought me a pendant with my arms and
the land's head there too and every time
we saw that the Turks pressed too hardly
upon the sergeants we charged them and
they went flying the good count of Swan
saw in that point of danger jested with
me and said seneschal let these curves
howl
by god's bonnet for that was his
favorite oath we shall talk of this day
yet you and I in lady's chambers after
holding the bridge the Crusader army
soon fled to their camp and fended off
numerous attacks in the following days
and weeks after trying to flee north
towards Damietta the Crusader army which
had been weakened by famine and disease
was destroyed and King Louie was taken
prisoner Jean de Schramm vo and other
nobles were also captured Louie was
eventually ransomed and spent four more
years in the Latin kingdoms with an
Ville at his side before returning to
France in 1254 jean de joinville
eventually read a biography of King
Louie the ninth called the life of st.
Louis he died in 1317 at the age of 93
you
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