Charles and the Crusade of St. Louis

The removal of the last Hohenstaufen claimant to the Kingdom of Sicily not only allowed Charles to tighten his hold on the region, but also permitted him to pursue another project that he had been developing. Since 1267 Charles had been preparing to launch an expedition against Constantinople in order to restore the Latin Empire there, which had been lost in 1261. However, the invasion of Conradin in 1268 had spared the Byzantine Emperor Michael Palaeologus from Charles's attentions. By 1270 Charles was ready to try again but now another distraction appeared. Charles Anjou His brother, Louis IX, was determined to go on crusade again, despite the previous fiasco in Egypt (1249 - 1252), and asked Charles to support him. It seems clear that Charles was less than enthusiastic about the venture but had decided to make the best of the situation. Over the objections of his councilors, Louis permitted himself to be persuaded by Charles that a crusade against Tunis was a better alternative than one directed towards Jerusalem. The Kingdom of Tunis, which had been obligated since 1158 to pay tribute to the King of Sicily, had used the death of Manfred as an excuse to stop payments. Charles saw the crusade as an opportunity to reinstate his authority in Tunis while fulfilling his obligation to go on crusade with his brother. Even then, Charles did not directly participate in the fighting until the Christian forces were in complete disarray, and his presence was demanded. Yet the result was not a decisive victory for the crusaders, primarily due to the death of Louis IX. The crusade finally ended in a negotiated peace that, other than paying for the expenses of the other crusaders, essentially benefited Charles. Among other things it restored the tribute to Charles and allowed his merchants free access to Tunis. The treaty was to last ten years but was renewed in 1280. However, Charles's ambitions in the Maghreb would bring his commercial interests into conflict with another maritime power in the region. The miniature at the right depicts Charles of Anjou receiving ambassadors from Tunis (Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, France).