Sixth Crusade
The Recovery of Jerusalem
By the terms of the treaty, Jerusalem was returned to the Christians. In addition, the Muslims returned Bethlehem, Nazareth, the castles of Montfort and Toron, and a corridor running from Jerusalem to Jaffa. Frederick himself was granted the right to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem if he so chose. In return, the Muslims were to retain possession of the Dome of the Rock and the Mosque al-Aqsa, and were to be allowed free access to and within the city. Al-Kamil got a ten-year truce out of the deal, which meant freedom to concentrate on re-uniting Syria with Egypt. All prisoners on both sides were freed.
Al-Kamil seemingly got the worst of the deal, and he heard about it. His own imams criticized him publicly. Muslims everywhere were horrified to learn that the Sultan had simply given Jerusalem away without a battle. He was wiser than those around him, however, for he knew that he could take Jerusalem back any time he chose. It is a measure of his political strength that he was able to make such an unpopular move and weather the storm of disapproval.
While the local Christian barons knew that they had won a great prize at little cost, the reaction to the treaty in the West was much more critical. Frederick was blamed for a host of crimes: he had caused the failure of the Fifth Crusade, he had broken his Crusader vows, he had defied the pope himself, and now he had wasted a Crusader army. If the Sultan could be so cowed by the mere appearance of the army into yielding Jerusalem, how much more could have been won with battle? Besides, Frederick was to have fought the infidel, actually fought him, not dined with him and signed treaties. Besides, they could see for themselves how vulnerable Jerusalem was. The treaty would hold only so long as the Muslims chose to hold it; the holy city could not be defended.