Siege of Tripoli (1271)

In the middle of the XIII century, the crusaders steadily lost their positions and by 1271 were sandwiched between the advancing troops of the Egyptian Mamelukes from the south and the Mongols from the east, not receiving enough help from Europe. Around 1260, Bohemund VI, under the influence of his father-in-law, Tsar Getum I of Armenia , transferred Antioch and Tripoli to the overlordship of the Mongols, pledging to send his troops to the Mongol army fighting against the Muslims. The Mongols destroyed the caliphates of the Abbasids and Ayyubids , contributing to the establishment of Mameluke power in Egypt. However, before the Mongols could continue their advance south through Palestine to Egypt, they had to return to Karakorum to decide on a new great khan. A small part of the Mongolian army remained in Syria and participated in raids in Palestine. The Crusaders and the Mamluks concluded a ceasefire, which allowed the Mamelukes to advance north through the territory of the Crusaders, as well as defeat the weakened Mongol army at the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260 . When the main forces of the Mongols returned in 1262 , they were never able to avenge the defeat. Meanwhile, the Mamluks began to return the rest of the Levant from the hands of the crusaders. Jerusalem was taken in 1244 , and the Egyptian Mamluks began to capture castle by castle.

In 1268, the Mamluks besieged and captured Antioch , as a result of which only Tripoli remained in the hands of Boemund VI . Beybars I sent a letter to Boemund VI , threatening him with complete destruction and mocking his alliance with the Mongol ruler Abaka :

Boemund VI requested a truce so as not to lose Tripoli . Baybars I taunted him for his lack of courage and asked him to pay all the expenses of the Mameluke campaign. Boemund VI was proud enough to refuse the offer. By this time, the Mamluks had already besieged the city, but at this time they learned about the arrival of the Crusaders, led by Edward of England . Edward I landed in Acre on May 9, 1271 , where he was soon joined by Boemund VI and his cousin King Hugo III of Cyprus ^[2] .

Baybars I accepted Boemund VI ’s offer of armistice and abandoned the siege of Tripoli , and instead concentrated his forces in Damascus , preparing for future battles. Edward I made an attempt to coordinate his actions with the Mongols, but to no avail, since the Mongols were busy with internal conflicts, and Edward I's own forces were too small. Therefore, he decided to make peace with the Mamluks and returned to England.

The next major attack on Tripoli was undertaken in 1289 by the Mameluk Sultan Calaun , who successfully besieged the city and destroyed this crusader state. Then he was going to capture the last major stronghold of the crusaders - Saint-Jean-de-Acre , but died in 1290 . The capture of Acre was carried out by his son Khalil al-Ashraf in 1291 .

• René Grousset, Histoire des Croisades III