Throughout this demonic realm are Christians. Beyond Leemannia extends the broad land of Ethiopia, which is governed partly by devilish kings, partly by Christians. Here live the people of Nubia who signify the Cross with only one finger, arguing that two natures unite in the universal nature of Christ. Prester John, long thought to live in uttermost Asia, now rules as Negus, patiently waiting to deliver a blow for Christendom.
Soon enough the living host got sight of infidel Cairo, the vast extent of it, after which the lords took counsel with King John and Cardinal Pelagius and all agreed they should advance no further. Indeed, all thought it prudent to turn back at once. Now the sultan, who was full of wrath and exceeding shrewd, caused the river to be dammed and forced out of its bed. So it overflowed the isle where the pilgrims had encamped and near midnight they found themselves half afloat. The sultan could have drowned them, but did not. If he drowned them he would gain little because they had left Damietta strongly garrisoned. Therefore, keeping them in constraint, he made known they must withdraw and render up his port, else he would have the river submerge them to the last knight and mule and garbage rat. So the differing lords and Cardinal Pelagius and King John being overcome with distress, esteeming themselves fools, seeing what their case had become, fearful that none would survive this accursed land, reminded Sultan al-Kamil that both he and they might profit from the inestimable benefits of peace. And they made such agreement as they could, which altogether reflected the sultan’s will. Then he let loose those prisoners he held, requiring the presence of King John as hostage until his chastised army withdrew.
Thus, on the eighth day of September in that year 1221, Sultan al-Kamil got back Damietta while the Christian host embarked, gnawing their thumbs. Straightway did King John make for the city of Acre. Concerning the haughty and disagreeable legate, he fed himself with angry dreams, traveling north to carry out some directive from Honorius who was pontiff. Later he embarked to Europe. Honorius made use of him on various occasions. What the pontiff thought of this expedition I could not say, nor do chronicles report.
Guillaume le Clerc, a jongleur more adept at malice than craft, assaulted the Church with ugly verse. Because of Pelagius was Damietta lost through wicked folly! Let clerics recite psalms while knights give battle! Let the cleric pray for the knight, let him shrive the sinner! Ought not Rome be reproached for losing Damietta?
In Provence, drenched by heretic blood, Guillem Figueira sang out. Rome! False beyond compare, do you govern for aught but silver? Damietta was lost because of you! Child of an evil mother, privy to evil covenant! Rome! God punish you!
Yet here was Lady Gormonda de Montpellier defending the legate, charging the humiliation at Damietta to indiscreet and venal men. Peirol, troubadour and pilgrim, one of few that laid aside his instrument to confront unbelievers, sang furiously that Emperor Frederick was responsible for this defeat by virtue of hollow promises.
How shall crested men be checked? Frederick seemed reluctant to fulfill his vow. Albeit he took the cross in 1215, this grandson of Frederick Barbarossa found other matters more engaging. Nine years elapsed. Anon the balding little man with crooked back and sparse red hair saw fit to augment his empire through marriage to Princess Yolanda, age fourteen, heiress to Jerusalem’s throne. He sent her costly fabrics and jewels, handsome gifts to her uncles and other relatives. To the city of Tyre she was delivered in regal splendor where Archbishop Simon married her by proxy to Frederick and set the crown on her childish head. There ensued fifteen days of dances, tourneys, and feasting. This according to Philip de Novare.
That summer the tiny empress would embark for Brindisi, escorted by innumerable galleys. She was accompanied to shore by the queen of Cyprus and other highborn ladies, all weeping because they did not expect to see her again. Nor did they. One last moment she gazed upon the land and was heard to murmur. I commend you to God, beloved Syria.
At Brindisi the vows were celebrated afresh. However, Frederick soon took to bed a cousin of his bride. What grievance he held against Yolanda is not reported, but some time afterward he committed her to the harem he kept at Palermo. Here she gave birth to a son, Conrad, and one week later ascended to glory.
Frederick was by most accounts disposed to corpulence, solidly built, despite a skewed back by no means monstrous, with sensual lips and cold green eyes. What few hairs embellished his skull at age thirty was that distinctive reddish hair of the Hohenstaufen. They say he was fluent at Latin, French, Greek, Italian, and Arabic, his mind ravenous for knowledge, whether medical art, theology, science, music, or news of distant lands. For all this he could number his friends on the fingers of one hand since he was cruel, sly, selfish, vindictive, lascivious beyond understanding, and of such conceit he thought himself appointed viceroy to our Lord. Half-German, half-Norman, he sought the company of minnesingers and troubadours. He was himself a poet to some degree, artist, scientist who wrote at length on the anatomy of birds and the art of hawking. De arte venandi cum avibus. Stupor Mundi, so called by Matthew Paris. Indeed, who would not be astonished at a Christian emperor entranced by the wicked dogma of Islam? That he was born in Sicily might account for this. He spent much time there, child of an island half-Greek, half-Arab, compounded of West and East.
Al-Kamil directed Emir Fakhr al-Din to find out what sort of man this sovereign encyclopedia could
