Introduction
From the time when Richard the Lion-hearted went home, until the Emperor Frederick II arrived in 1228, some group of Europeans was either on crusade or preparing for a crusade. Yet neither the Fourth nor the Fifth Crusade ever arrived in the Holy Land. Instead, the Kingdom of Jerusalem received smaller groups that arrived almost yearly, but rarely in sufficient numbers to be effective.
During these years, the Kingdom had significant dynastic troubles and never had a strong leader for any length of time. Only the fact that their Islamic neighbors had troubles of their own managed to preserve a tenuous peace. In contrast, Antioch was engaged in a serious struggle with Armenia and Byzantium for its very existence, which kept its princes occupied in the north.
The Fourth Crusade can be difficult to understand, so take your time with it and try to keep all the players clear in your mind. The great question here, of course, is how a crusade to liberate Jerusalem could wind up sacking Constantinople.
Because the Fourth Crusade failed in its original objective, the Pope went to work on a new crusade almost at once. Even so, a decade would pass before the Fifth Crusade set out. Its objective was Egypt and it very nearly succeeded before ending in dismal failure. Where politics and money were key in the Fourth Crusade, personalities and ideals dominated the Fifth.
The Fifth Crusade was in many ways a re-issuing of the Fourth, and the Sixth Crusade, in turn, was in a sense a re-issuance of the Fifth. Led by Emperor Frederick II, who was supposed to have joined the crusaders in Egypt, the Sixth Crusade did not exactly liberate Jerusalem, but at least it got the city declared to be neutral ground and open to Christians. So why wasn't Frederick hailed as a hero? That will be one of the questions we will answer. Take note, too, of the disruptive effect Frederick had on the internal politics of Outremer.
History of the Crusades
Dr. E.L. Skip Knox
Boise State University
Last revised January 07, 2002