Outremer
The War of St Sabas: Outremer in the 1250s
Meanwhile, no enemy could have been more effective at undermining the Kingdom than were the Christians themselves. Early in 1256, a conflict broke out between Venetians and Genoese in Acre that developed into the War of St Sabas.
The highest point in Acre was the hill known as Montjoie. At the top of that hill was the monastery of St Sabas. Genoa controlled the hill, but its claim to the monastery itself was disputed by Venice, and the matter was in the courts. On that early spring morning, the Genoese decided to force the issue and seized control of the monastery. The Venetians protested, naturally, whereupon the Genoese entered the Venetian quarter with armed men. Men from Pisa supported them with such speed that it seems likely the whole operation had been planned. The Venetians drove the invaders out, but not until many homes and ships had been sacked or destroyed.
Coincident with this event, Philip of Montfort moved against the Venetians in Tyre. He had been in control of the city ever since the Filangieri left, and he'd been feuding with the Venetians. Venice had controlled a full third of the city since 1124 and it was a vital part of their position in the Holy Land. Philip's precipitate move alarmed other barons, though, for it was plainly illegal. Various factions in the Holy Land quickly chose sides. I shall here recount those factions and their sides not because it's all that important to know but because it will illustrated just how internally divided Outremer had become.
The Temple and the Teutonic Knights supported Venice, while the Hospitallers supported Genoa. Among the merchants, those of Marseilles were rivals of Genoa and so supported Venice; the Catalans were rivals of Marseilles and so supported Genoa. Surprisingly, the Venetians were able to persuade the Pisans that Genoa was not to be trusted and so caused them to switch sides. The barons, and especially the Ibelins, supported Venice—not because they liked the Venetians (they did not) but because they feared that Montfort intended to make Tyre independent of Acre. Moreover, the Genoese had at one time hired Assassins to kill John of Arsuf over a dispute, so there was no chance of the Ibelins supporting that city. At Antioch, Bohemond VI somewhat reluctantly entered the fray on the side of Venice. Other barons supported Genoa, though; specifically, the Embriaco family that ruled Jebail, for they were descended from Genoese. The people of Acre naturally supported Venice, for fear that Tyre might become a rival to Acre.
And that's rather enough of that. There are a couple of things to notice from this recitation. One, that rivalries from Europe got imported into the Holy Land. And two, that these rivalries could be suppressed when there was a strong monarch present, either to rally around or to unite against, or when there was an immediate external threat; but that when the strong hand or external threat was absent, there was nothing to restrain the rivalries.
The immediate fighting was in Acre itself. When the Pisans defected, Genoa overran their district and took control of it, which included the inner harbor. A Venetian fleet soon arrived, however, and after a hot fight on the docks, the Genoese were driven back into their own district. This lay next to the Hospitaller's houses and castle, presenting a united and well-defended quarter. There were skirmishes now and again, but the open fighting died down.
Diplomatic efforts dominated the year 1257, with little result. Officially, the dispute had been referred to the pope, who decreed an exchange of embassies to negotiate and an armistice in the meantime. This was ignored. On 24 June 1258, the Genoese lost twenty-four ships and 1700 men in a sea battle just off Acre. The Venetians overran the Genoese quarter and the presence of Genoa in Acre was ended.
The war was effectively over, too. The pope sent a legate, who entered into long negotiations that eventually involved the High Court as well. In January 1261 it was agreed that the Genoese would be established at Tyre, the Pisans and Venetians at Acre. This was hardly much of an achievement, since it represented merely the status quo. And, in fact, while the barons and Orders made peace, the Italians continued to fight. They raided each other's ships at every opportunity for the next several years.
Recovery of the Byzantine Empire
1261 was an important year in another respect. On 25 July, with Genoese help, Michael Paleologus recovered Constantinople for the Greeks. The so-called Latin Empire was ended, though there was a Frankish, Italian and Catalan presence in Greece and Crete long after the fall of the Holy Land. The recovery of Constantinople was of direct interest to the Italians, for the Venetians were kicked out and the Genoese now gained control of the trade routes into the Black Sea.