Battle of Mansurah

Overview

The Battle of Mansurah was fought from 8 to 11 February 1250, between Crusaders led by Louis IX, King of France, and Egyptian Ayyubid forces led by Sultana Shajar al-Durr, vizier Fakhr al-Din ibn al-Shaykh, Faris ad-Din Aktai, Baybars and Qutuz. It was fought in present-day Mansoura, Egypt. The Crusader force was enticed into entering the town where it was set upon by the Egyptian force. The Crusaders withdrew in disorder to their encampment where they were besieged by the Egyptians. The Crusaders broke out and withdrew to Damietta in early April.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Mansurah on 15 February 1250 was a major engagement of the Seventh Crusade, fought between Ayyubid Egyptian forces and the Crusader army of Louis IX of France during the French advance into Egypt. The Ayyubid side, which included commanders Baybars, Qutuz, and Fakhr al-Din ibn al-Shaykh under the broader authority of Shajar al-Durr, outnumbered the French force at 4,600 against 2,800. The presence of Robert d'Artois and William II Longespée among the French commanders alongside Louis IX and the Templar master Guillaume de Sonnac indicates the engagement drew senior leadership on both sides. Mansurah is associated with the broader Egyptian campaign that ultimately ended in the capture of Louis IX and the failure of the Seventh Crusade, representing one of the most decisive checks on Latin military power in the mid-thirteenth century Near East.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (11)