Crusade of 1197

The emerging throne conflict between his brother Philip of Swabia and the Welf rival Otto of Brunswick made many higher-ranking crusaders return to Germany in order to protect their interests in the next imperial election.

In his struggle with the Princes to enforce his succession, the tide turned in his favour when the returning crusader King Richard was captured in Austria and only released against an oath of allegiance and an enormous ransom.

By declaring a new Crusade to reconquer Jerusalem, Henry aimed at an agreement with Pope Celestine III to acknowledge his rule over Sicily.

Henry VI decided to take advantage of his father's threat of force against the Byzantine Empire, affected by the rebellions in Serbia and Bulgaria as well as by Seljuk incursions.

Alexius immediately submitted to the tributary demands and exacted high taxes from his subjects to pay the Crusaders 5,000 pounds of gold.

During the Holy Week (March) of 1195, Emperor Henry made a pledge and at the Easter celebrations in Bari publicly announced the Crusade.

[1] Bretislaus III, Duke of Bohemia had agreed to join the Crusade at the Diet in Worms in December 1195, and planned to do so, until he fell ill and died on 15 or 19 June 1197.

A force of 3,000 Saxon and Rhenish troops in 44 ships under the Count Palatine, the Duke of Brabant and the Archbishop of Bremen sailed from northern Germany in mid-May, arriving in Lisbon in mid-June.

[8] On 22 September 1197, a substantial German army under the command of Archchancellor Conrad of Mainz and Marshal Henry of Kalden landed at Acre, where their presence aroused the displeasure of the French forces of Queen Isabella of Jerusalem.

The remaining crusaders concluded another armistice in June 1198 with the Ayyubid emir al-Adil I, who acknowledged the rule of King Amalric II over the reconquered lands.

On his way back to Germany, Archbishop Conrad of Mainz in January 1198 crowned Prince Leo of Cicilia as King of Armenia in Tarsus.