February 18 –
Treaty of Jaffa: Emperor
Frederick II signs a 10-year truce together with Sultan
Al-Kamil and his representatives; he manages to regain many parts of the
Holy Land through political negotiation, rather than by resorting to military force or directly confronting the Muslim army. Frederick's achievements, including the control of
Jerusalem (without the
Temple Mount) and
Bethlehem, with a corridor running through
Lydda to the sea of
Jaffa, as well as
Nazareth and western
Galilee, including
Montfort Castle and
Toron, and the remaining Muslim districts around
Sidon. All Muslims are to be allowed the right of entry in Jerusalem and freedom of worship.[1]
March 17 – Frederick II enters Jerusalem, escorted by German and Italian troops. Of the Military Orders only the
Teutonic Knights are represented and some clergy. He receives the formal surrender of the city by Al-Kamil's governor (or Qadi), who hands him the keys of Jerusalem. The procession then passes through streets to the old building of the Hospital (or the
Muristan), where Frederick takes up his residence in the
Christian Quarter.[2]
March 18 – Frederick II crowns himself as
King of Jerusalem in an impromptu ceremony in the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre. After the ceremony, he proceeds to the palace of the
Hospitallers – where he holds a council to discuss the defense of Jerusalem. Frederick orders the
Tower of David and the
Gate of St. Stephen are to be repaired at once and he hands over the royal residence attached to the Tower of David to the Teutonic Order.[3]
May 1 – Frederick II departs from
Acre, while he and his suite pass down the "Street of the Butchers" to the harbour, the people crowd out of the doors, and pelts him with entrails and dung. Meanwhile,
Odo of Montbéliard (or Eudes), commander of the Crusader army, and
John of Ibelin, lord of
Beirut, are left behind to quell the unrest in
Palestine.[4]
May – Frederick II arrives at
Cyprus, where he attends the wedding proxy of the 12-year-old King
Henry I (the Fat) to
Alice of Montferrat – whose father is one of his staunch supporters in
Italy. On
June 10, Frederick lands at
Brindisi, where the papal army under his father-in-law
John of Brienne has invaded the Italian territories in
Campania.[5]
Autumn – Frederick II recovers the lost Italian territories and tries to condemn the leading rebel barons, but avoids crossing the frontiers of the
Papal States. Meanwhile, a first serious raid on Jerusalem is made by a mass of unorganized
Beduins and plunderers of pilgrims. An advance guard encouraged the Christians to expel the Muslims.[6]
Europe
March 6 –
University of Paris strike: Students begin to riot, after a dispute over a bill with a tavern proprietor. Queen
Blanche of Castile demands retribution, and allows the city guard to punish the student rioters. She puts an economic strain upon the student quarter of
Paris (the
Latin Quarter), where
Latin is commonly heard in the streets.
April 12 –
Treaty of Paris: Count
Raymond VII is forced to sign a peace treaty (also known as the "Treaty of Meaux"). This brings the
Albigensian Crusade to an end. Raymond regains his feudal rights but has to swear his allegiance to King
Louis IX (the Saint). The fortifications, such as these of
Avignon and
Toulouse, are dismantled.[7]
November 28 – Battle of Olustra:
Eric XI (the Lisp and Lame) is defeated and deposed as king of
Sweden by
Canute II (the Tall), who proclaims himself the new ruler.
England
October 13 – King
Henry III calls for an army to be assembled at
Portsmouth to be transported to
Normandy to regain lost territories from the French. A large army of knights turns up ready to go but not enough ships have been provided. Henry blames
Hubert de Burgh for the fiasco and in his rage will have killed him if
Ranulf of Chester has not intervened. This marks the beginning of the rift between Henry and Hubert de Burgh. Meanwhile, the expedition is postponed until mid-
1230.