Lotto 716:
Damietta. John of Brienne, King (1210-1212), Regent (1212-1225). BI Denier, Acre mint (?). D/ Patent cross; pellets (?) in second and third quarters. R/ Head facing, with curled hair, and wearing crown with three pellets. Malloy 43; Schl. pl. III, 31; Metcalf 203/205. BI. 0.53 g. 18.50 mm. R. Exceptional condition for issue. EF. Damietta had a crucial role during the time of the Crusades. In 1169, a fleet from the Kingdom of Jerusalem, with support from the Byzantine Empire, attacked the port, but the besiegers returned home without any success since it was defended by Saladin.
During preparations for the Fifth Crusade in 1217, it was decided that Damietta should be the focus of attack because of its strategical position. Control of Damietta meant control of the Nile, and from there the crusaders believed they would be able to conquer Egypt and then the Palestine and Jerusalem. After the siege of Damietta of 1218–1219, the port was occupied by the Crusaders. In 1221 the Crusaders attempted to march to Cairo, but were destroyed by the combination of nature and Muslim defenses.
Damietta was also the object of the Seventh Crusade, led by Louis IX of France. His fleet arrived there in 1249 and quickly captured the fort, which he refused to hand over to the nominal king of Jerusalem, to whom it had been promised during the Fifth Crusade. However, having been taken prisoner with his army in April 1250, Louis was obliged to surrender Damietta as ransom.
Hearing that Louis was preparing a new crusade, the Mamluk Sultan Baibars, in view of the importance of the town to the Crusaders, destroyed it in 1251 and rebuilt it with stronger fortifications a few kilometers from the river in the early 1260s, making the mouth of the Nile at Damietta impassable for ships.
Base d'asta € 150
Prezzo attuale € 400
Offerte: 16
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