Alexandrian Crusade

The Alexandrian Crusade of October 1365^[1] was a seaborne^[2] Crusade on Alexandria led by Peter I of Cyprus.

History

Peter spent three years gathering soldiers and wealth from across Europe to power and finance this crusade. Before to return to Cyprus, he was informed that the Egyptians were planning to organize attack against Cyprus. Following his war tactic, to attack first when he believed that they would attack him, something that did before against Turks, he planned invasion against Egyptians. From Venice, where he was, he send message to assemble his fleet to Rhodes together with his military. The Saint John Knights of Rhodes took part with his side.

Peter had a fleet of 165 ships. In Rhodes, Peter became the leader of the expeditional forces. Despite the differences in Europe for Cyprus, since Europeans like Venetians, but even Cypriots had big financial interest because of the commercial activities they had with Egypt, Peter set sail in October 1365, making landfall in Alexandria around 9 October. King Peter's army defeated the defenders of Alexandria and gained entrance to the city, after which they subjected it to an extensive sack before sailing away when a Mamluk relief army arrived somewhere around the October 12. ^[1]

Peter understood that he could not rule Alexandria for long time because it was far from Cyprus. After having the city under his rule for few more days, he pillaged the city and returned to Cyprus after an absense of three years.

Interpretations

Jo van Steenbergen, citing Peter Edbury, argues that the crusade was primarily an economic quest. Peter wanted to end the primacy of Alexandria as a port in the Eastern Mediterranean in the hope that Famagusta would then benefit from the redirected trade. ^[1] Religious concerns, then, were secondary.

Van Steenbergen's description of contemporary Muslim accounts, such as that of Alī al-Maqrīzī, indicates that the crusading force succeeded partially thanks to superior diversionary tactics. The Alexandrian defensive force occupied itself fighting in the area around the western harbor, while the "real" force, including cavalry, made landfall elsewhere in the city, apparently hiding in a graveyard, undetected by the defenders. The crusading force was thus able to attack from both the front and the rear, panicking the Alexandrians, who did not recover from this setback. ^[1]