The emperor Frederick II's crusade 1215 - c. 1231

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is not simply to reassess Frederick II's crusade and the treaty in which it resulted, but to flesh and clothe an episode of crusading history which, in the shadow of more colourful campaigns, has often suffered neglect.
The first half of the thesis (chapters one to four) covers the period from the time of Frederick's assumption of the cross in 1215 to the despatch of Thomas of Acerra to the East in 1227, although in its investigation of the possibility that Frederick may have inherited the unfulfilled vow of crusade sworn by his father, Henry VI, chapter one necessarily defies these parameters. Chapter two considers the influence of the Fifth Crusade on Frederick's crusading plans; chapter three discusses the preoccupations which compelled the emperor to delay the fulfilment of his vow until 1228, and chapter four looks at the military and financial preparations which were set in motion during this period.
The second half of the thesis can reasonably be divided into two. Chapters five to seven deal primarily with the crusade proper - the activities of the crusaders prior to Frederick's arrival in Syria, the role of two leading English bishops in the crusade, Frederick's strained relations with the nobility in Cyprus and the Latin Kingdom, his presence in the Holy Land and conclusion of peace with the Egyptian sultan al-Kämil. The eighth and final chapter takes a brief glimpse at the observance of Frederick's treaty in the immediate aftermath of the crusade and subsequent diplomatic contacts between the Hohenstaufen and Ayyobid dynasties.