High Middle Ages · Middle East · Religion
1219
Francis meets Sultan al-Kamil at Damietta
1219
During the crusader siege of Damietta, Francis of Assisi crossed the lines unarmed and asked to preach to the sultan. Al-Kamil received him courteously, listened for days, then sent him safely back. The episode entered Franciscan legend and interfaith memory. It remains one of the most remarkable encounters of the Middle Ages, a moment of mutual curiosity amid the mechanical brutality of holy war.
In context
Also in 1219 (3 other events on record)
- Mongols invade the Khwarazmian Empire · Central Asia · War
- Mongols capture Bukhara · Central Asia · War
- Genghis Khan's Yasa code promulgated across the empire · Central Asia · Politics
Before and after in Middle East
Before and after in Religion
Era
High Middle Ages (1000–1300), one of 1,306 events from that era on Saeculum.