Crusaders briefly recover Jerusalem by treaty

1239

Through a diplomatic agreement brokered by Richard of Cornwall, Jerusalem was temporarily returned to Christian control. The recovery was fragile and short-lived, relying on Ayyubid goodwill that evaporated within five years when Khwarazmian mercenaries sacked the city in 1244 and ended Christian presence for good. The episode demonstrated that diplomacy could achieve what crusading armies increasingly could not, though neither method produced lasting results.