Fifth Crusade
Retreat of the Egyptians
At the beginning of February, al-Kamil received disturbing news: one of his most powerful emirs was plotting against him. The emir was Imad-ad-Din, a Kurdish chieftain who commanded the loyalty of the Kurdish troops, which constituted the bulk of al-Kamil's forces. While the Sultan was able to capture the conspirators, walking into their tent at the very moment they were taking an oath on the Koran to implement their plot, he did not know how far the plot extended. That very night, al-Kamil rode for Cairo.
At dawn, on February 5, 1219, the Egyptian army discovered that their Kurdish captain was in chains and that the Sultan himself had fled for Cairo. Confusion and panic broke out at once, with the troops scattering in every direction. A spy came over to the Christian camp to tell them what was happening. John of Brienne, King of Jerusalem, sent out scouts. When they confirmed the reports, the Christians joyfully occupied the Egyptian camp.
Egyptian officers were able to re-form the army a few miles upstream, but they had lost their protective position around Damietta. The great prize of the Egyptian camp lent much credit to Pelagius, not only because the victory came at a time when he was being acknowledged as a leader in military matters, but also because a few weeks previous a book had surfaced that seemed to predict a Christian victory. This book, written in Arabic, said that Damietta would fall and at least seemed to have predicted a number of events up to that point. Since this was in the nature of prophesy, the papal legate was able to insist that this showed clearly that the Church should be leading the Crusade. Many among the common soldiers were inclined to agree. The capture of the Christian camp further bolstered this claim. Still, the King of Jerusalem held great prestige, so John and Pelagius together were the leaders. And they were rivals.