Part 81

Asad ad-Deen Shirkuh set out, leading the first campaign to Egypt, in Jumada al-Akhirah 559 AH/April 1164 CE, accompanied by his nephew Salah ad-Deen Yoosuf ibn Ayub, who was approximately seventeen years old. They followed the route already decided upon, which passed through lands under Crusader control.564 In order to distract them from intercepting this campaign and to protect the soldiers' lives, Noor ad-Deen did two things: a) He accompanied the campaign with his own army as far as the outskirts of Damascus, to prevent anyone intercepting the troops. b) He launched attacks on the northern edges of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem which neighboured Damascus, to distract Crusader attention from Egypt.565 Asad ad-Deen Shirkuh led his huge army across the desert, accompanied by Shawar. They passed Kerak, then ash-Shawbak (Crac de Montreal) and Eilat, then they reached Suez and from there went on to Cairo. They travelled so quickly that they had passed the channel of Suez before the Crusaders were ready to intervene. Dirgham sent a military force led by a brother of his called Nasir ad-Deen, to confront them, but the encounter between the two sides ended in a clear victory for Asad ad-Deen Shirkuh, and Nasir ad-Deen returned to Cairo in defeat, pursued by Asad ad-Deen Shirkuh. At the end of Jumada al-Akhirah he reached the Egyptian capital, and Dirgham came out to meet him with all the forces at his disposal, because he realized that this was the final battle. The battle took place under the walls of Cairo; it was a violent clash which ended in victory for Asad adDeen Shirkuh after the army, the people and the caliph abandoned Dirgham. Dirgham was killed near the supposed shrine of as-Sayyidah Nafeesah as he attempted to flee in Rajab 559 AH/June 1164 CE. Then his brother Nasir adDeen was killed, and Asad ad-Deen Shirkuh entered Cairo in victory, reinstated Shawar as vizier, and set up his camp outside the city.566 After his reinstatement was guaranteed, Shawar went back to his old ways of plotting and deceiving in order to start a new conflict with Asad adDeen Shirkuh. He mistreated the people and forgot the promises that he had made to Noor ad-Deen Mahmood. Indeed, signs of treachery soon appeared. He broke his treaty with him and asked Shirkuh to leave Egypt immediately, taking his troops back to Syria. But Shirkuh refused to do so and reacted to his about-face by hastening to capture Bilbeis and taking over the eastern part of the country.567 Shawar had no choice but to seek help from King Amalric I, who was preparing to march on Egypt. He began to make him scared of Noor ad-Deen Mahmood and suggested the following to him: c) He would give him one thousand dinars for every stage of the journey from Jerusalem to the Nile; the number of stages was twenty-seven. d) He would give gifts to each of the Knights Hospitaller who accompanied him; they formed the backbone of the army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. This was an attempt to entice these knights to take part in the campaign. e) He would pay for food for their horses, in return for help in expelling Asad ad-Deen Shirkuh from Egypt.568 Thus Shawar indulged in a political game between major enemies in an attempt to incite them against one another to serve his own interests. Undoubtedly Almaric I was watching political and military developments in Egypt at that time, and when he learned of Asad ad-Deen Shirkuh's march his fear increased. So when Shawar's invitation reached him, he welcomed it and did not waste this opportunity to enter Egypt, even though it was with a different ally. That did not bother him in the least; all that mattered to him was entering Egypt.569 Amalric I's second campaign against Egypt Amalric I's campaign against Egypt failed and he was forced to withdraw and return to Jerusalem. That was in 558 AH/1163 CE. When he got another opportunity to enter Egypt, as soon as he received Shawar's invitation, Amalric I hastened to hold a council in Jerusalem, summoning the barons of the kingdom. He decided to accept Shawar's invitation after explaining to the council that he was able to prepare a campaign to invade Egypt without weakening the kingdom's defences. At that time a number of pilgrims had arrived from Europe to visit Jerusalem, and he could make use of them in his war effort, in hopes of occupying Egypt for the Crusaders. He decided to appoint Bohemond III, ruler of Antioch, in charge of the kingdom's affairs in his absence.570 The King of Jerusalem hastened to march on Egypt at the head of his forces for the second time, in Ramadan 559 AH/August 1164 CE. As soon as he arrived in Faqoos571, he hastened to contact Shawar and they agreed to besiege Asad ad-Deen Shirkuh in Bilbeis. This fortress withstood the siege for three months, during which Asad adDeen Shirkuh defended his position.572 Then Alamric I suddenly decided to enter into negotiations with him for both parties to leave Egypt. What happened on the political level to make him take this step?