fifth crusade
Proper noun A military campaign authorized by the Catholic Church and launched from 1218 to 1221. It was directed by papal legates and initially achieved significant successes, including the capture of the Egyptian port city of Damietta. However, the campaign ultimately failed because of internal disagreements among its leaders over whether to accept a proposed peace treaty from the Sultan of Egypt, Al-Kamil, which offered the Kingdom of Jerusalem in exchange for withdrawing from Egypt.
The term "Fifth Crusade" is used to refer specifically to this historical event. It is always capitalized.
Examples * The Fifth Crusade was primarily focused on attacking Egypt. * Historians often cite the Fifth Crusade as an example of failed diplomacy. * Despite early victories, the Fifth Crusade ended without achieving its main objective.
- "The course of the Fifth Crusade": Used to discuss the sequence of events or the strategic decisions made during the campaign.
- The course of the Fifth Crusade was dramatically altered by the flooding of the Nile.
- "The failure of the Fifth Crusade": A common phrase used to analyze the reasons for its lack of ultimate success.
- The failure of the Fifth Crusade was a major setback for the Latin states in the Levant.
- Crusade (n): Any of the medieval military expeditions undertaken by European Christians to recover the Holy Land from Muslim rule. The Fifth Crusade is one numbered instance.
- The Crusades (n, pl): The collective series of these expeditions, of which the Fifth Crusade is a part.
- There are no direct synonyms for this proper noun referring to a specific historical event. Broader related terms include:
- Military expedition
- Holy war (in the specific medieval Christian context)
- "To launch a crusade": While this phrase can be used literally for the historical events, it is more commonly used metaphorically today to mean to start a vigorous campaign for a cause.
- The activist launched a crusade for environmental reform. (This is a modern, figurative use, not specific to the Fifth Crusade.)
- "Crusader army": The collective force of knights and soldiers participating in a crusade.
- The Crusader army of the Fifth Crusade besieged Damietta for over a year.
- No specific idioms are derived from the term "Fifth Crusade." The word "crusade" itself can be used idiomatically to mean a determined effort for a cause, e.g.,
- a Crusade under papal control from 1218 to 1221 that achieved military victories but failed when dissension arose over accepting the terms they had been offered