Editing Manuel I Komnenos (section)

==Invasion of Egypt==

===Alliance with the Kingdom of Jerusalem===
[[File:Maria Comnena and Amalric I of Jerusalem.jpg|thumb|left|The marriage of Amalric I of Jerusalem and Maria Comnena at [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]] in 1167 (from a manuscript of [[William of Tyre]]'s ''Historia'', painted in Paris c. 1295 – 1300, ''Bibliothèque Municipale'', [[Épinal]]).]]

Control of Egypt was a decades-old dream of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, and its king [[Amalric of Jerusalem|Amalric I]] needed all the military and financial support he could get for his planned campaign.<ref name="M73">P. Magdalino, ''The Empire of Manuel I Komnenos'', 73</ref> Amalric also realised that if he were to pursue his ambitions in Egypt, he might have to leave Antioch to the hegemony of Manuel, who had paid 100,000 [[dinar]]s for the release of [[Bohemond III]].<ref>J. Harris, ''Byzantium and The Crusades'', 107</ref><ref name="MR73">P. Magdalino, ''The Empire of Manuel I Komnenos'', 73<br/>* J. G. Rowe, ''Alexander III and the Jerusalem Crusade'', 117</ref> In 1165, he sent envoys to the Byzantine court to negotiate a marriage alliance (Manuel had already married Amalric's cousin [[Maria of Antioch]] in 1161).<ref name="M74">P. Magdalino, ''The Empire of Manuel I Komnenos'', 74</ref> After a long interval of two years, Amalric married Manuel's grandniece [[Maria Komnene, Queen consort of Jerusalem|Maria Komnene]] in 1167, and "swore all that his brother Baldwin had sworn before."{{Cref|f}} A formal alliance was negotiated in 1168, whereby the two rulers arranged for a conquest and partition of Egypt, with Manuel taking the coastal area, and Amalric the interior. In the autumn of 1169 Manuel sent a joint expedition with Amalric to Egypt: a Byzantine army and a naval force of 20 large [[warship]]s, 150 [[galley]]s, and 60 [[Horse transports in the Middle Ages|transports]], under the command of the ''[[megas doux]]'' Andronikos Kontostephanos, joined forces with Amalric at [[Ascalon]].<ref name="M74"/><ref name="fleet">J. Phillips, ''The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople'', 158</ref> William of Tyre, who negotiated the alliance, was impressed in particular by the large transport ships that were used to transport the cavalry forces of the army.<ref name=William>William of Tyre, ''A History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea''</ref>

Although such a long-range attack on a state far from the centre of the Empire may seem extraordinary (the last time the Empire had attempted anything on this scale was the failed invasion of Sicily over one hundred and twenty years earlier), it can be explained in terms of Manuel's foreign policy, which was to use the Latins to ensure the survival of the Empire. This focus on the bigger picture of the eastern Mediterranean and even further afield thus led Manuel to intervene in Egypt: it was believed that in the context of the wider struggle between the crusader states and the [[Islam]]ic powers of the east, control of Egypt would be the deciding factor. It had become clear that the ailing [[Fatimid]] [[Caliphate]] of Egypt held the key to the fate of the crusader states. If Egypt came out of its isolation and joined forces with the Muslims under Nur ad-Din, the crusader cause was in trouble.<ref name="M73"/>

A successful invasion of Egypt would have several further advantages for the Byzantine Empire. Egypt was a rich province, and in the days of the Roman Empire it had supplied much of the grain for Constantinople before it was lost to the [[Arabs]] in the 7th century. The revenues that the Empire could have expected to gain from the conquest of Egypt would have been considerable, even if these would have to be shared with the Crusaders. Furthermore, Manuel may have wanted to encourage Amalric's plans, not only to deflect the ambitions of the Latins away from Antioch, but also to create new opportunities for joint military ventures that would keep the King of Jerusalem in his debt, and would also allow the Empire to share in territorial gains.<ref name="M73"/>

===Failure of the expedition===
[[Image:BN MS FR 2628 Folio205 Amalric and Manuel.png|thumb|Manuel and the envoys of Amalric – arrival of the crusaders in [[Pelusium]] (from the Manuscript of [[William of Tyre]]'s ''Historia'' and ''Old French Continuation'', painted in [[Acre, Israel|Acre]], 13th century, [[Bibliothèque nationale de France]]).]]

The joined forces of Manuel and Amalric laid siege to [[Damietta]] on 27 October 1169, but the siege was unsuccessful due to the failure of the Crusaders and the Byzantines to co-operate fully.<ref name="R84-86">R. Rogers, ''Latin Siege Warfare in the Twelfth Century'', 84–86</ref> According to Byzantine forces, Amalric, not wanting to share the profits of victory, dragged out the operation until the emperor's men ran short of provisions and were particularly affected by famine; Amalric then launched an assault, which he promptly aborted by negotiating a truce with the defenders. On the other hand, William of Tyre remarked that the Greeks were not entirely blameless.<ref>William of Tyre, ''Historia'', XX [http://thelatinlibrary.com/williamtyre/20.html#15 15–17]</ref> Whatever the truth of the allegations of both sides, when the rains came, both the Latin army and the Byzantine fleet returned home, although half of the Byzantine fleet was lost in a sudden storm.<ref name="TM68">T. F. Madden, ''The New Concise History of the Crusades'', 68</ref>

Despite the bad feelings generated at Damietta, Amalric still refused to abandon his dream of conquering Egypt, and he continued to seek good relations with the Byzantines in the hopes of another joined attack, which never took place.<ref name="TM68-69">T. F. Madden, ''The New Concise History of the Crusades'', 68–69</ref> In 1171 Amalric came to Constantinople in person, after Egypt had fallen to [[Saladin]]. Manuel was thus able to organise a grand ceremonial reception which both honoured Amalric and underlined his dependence: for the rest of Amalric's reign, Jerusalem was a Byzantine satellite, and Manuel was able to act as a protector of the Holy Places, exerting a growing influence in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.<ref name="MM75">P. Magdalino, ''The Empire of Manuel I Komnenos'', 75<br/>* H. E. Mayer, ''The Latin East'', 657</ref> In 1177, a fleet of 150 ships was sent by Manuel I to invade Egypt, but returned home after appearing off Acre due to the refusal of Count [[Philip I, Count of Flanders|Philip of Flanders]] and many important nobles of the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]] to help.<ref>J. Harris, ''Byzantium and The Crusades'', 109</ref>