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siege, medieval

Siege of Damietta

Siege of Damietta was a siege conducted on 27 October 1169 at Damietta, in what is now Egypt; it lasted 50 days. It was part of Crusades, which ran from 1095 to 1291. The recorded result: Fatimid-Zengid victory.

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Fought27 October 1169lasted 50 days
WhereDamietta, Egypt31.417N, 31.817E
OutcomeFatimid-Zengid victory
BelligerentsFatimid Caliphate; Zengid dynastyagainstKingdom of Jerusalem; Byzantine Empire
Part ofCrusades1095 to 1291

Where it sits in Crusades

First Siege of Arsuf 1099, 1099Battle of Melitene, 1100Battle of the Dog River, 1100Siege of Caesarea Maritima, 1101Siege of Tripoli, 1102Battle of Jaffa, 1102Siege of Acre, 1103Siege of Edessa, 1104Siege of Acre, 1104Battle of Harran, 1104Battle of Akkum, 1108Battle of Turbessel, 1108Siege of Beirut, 1110Battle of Shaizar, 1111Siege of Tyre, 1111Battle of Al-Sannabra, 1113Battle of Sarmin, 1115Battle of Ager Sanguinis, 1119Battle of Hab, 1119Battle of Saruj, 1122Battle of Gerger, 1123Battle of Yibneh, 1123Battle of Manbij, 1124Siege of Aleppo, 1124Battle of Azaz, 1125Battle of Beirut, 1126Battle of al-Atharib, 1130Battle of Ceyhan River, 1130Battle of Rafaniyya, 1133Battle of Qinnasrin, 1135Battle of Tripoli, 1137Battle of Ba'rin, 1137Battle of Teqoa, 1138Siege of Aleppo, 1138Siege of Shaizar, 1138Siege of Edessa, 1144Fall of Saruj, 1145Siege of Edessa, 1146Battle of Inab, 1149Battle of Aintab, 1150Siege of Ascalon, 1153Siege of Paneas, 1157Battle of Lake Huleh, 1157Siege of Shaizar, 1157Battle of Marash, 1161Battle of al-Buqaia, 1163Battle of Harim, 1164Siege of Alexandria, 1167Battle of al-Babein, 1167Siege of Bilbeis, 1168Siege of Damietta, 1169Siege of Gaza, 1170Siege of Ayla, 1171Siege of Alexandria, 1174Battle of Montgisard, 1177Battle of Hama, 1178Battle of Banias, 1179Battle of Marj Ayyun, 1179Battle of Jacob's Ford, 1179Crusader raids on the Red Sea, 1182Battle of Belvoir Castle, 1182Battle of Al-Fule, 1183Siege of Kerak, 1183Battle of Cresson, 1187Siege of Kerak, 1187Siege of Tiberias, 1187Battle of Hattin, 1187Conquest of Jerusalem, 1187Siege of Tyre, 1187Siege of Belvoir Castle, 1187Siege of Laodicea, 1188Siege of Al-Shughur, 1188Siege of Sahyun Castle, 1188Siege of Trapessac, 1188Siege of Safed, 1188Battle of St. Matthew's Day, 1217Battle of Lyndanisse, 1219Battle of Lihula, 1220Battle of Hama, 1230Battle of Trapessac, 1237Battle of the Ice, 1242Siege of Jerusalem, 1244Battle of Forbie, 1244Battle of Jaffa, 1256Fall of Haifa, 1265Fall of Caesarea, 1265Fall of Arsuf, 1265Battle of the Orontes, 1265Siege of Safed, 1266Battle of Al-Ruways, 1266Battle of Wesenberg, 1268Fall of Jaffa, 1268Fall of Beaufort Castle, 1268Siege of Antioch, 1268Fall of Krak des Chevaliers, 1271Fall of Gibelacar, 1271Fall of Montfort Castle, 1271Siege of Margat, 1285Fall of Tripoli, 1289Siege of Acre, 1291Fall of Ruad, 1302Battle of Amorgos, 1312Battle of Adramyttion, 1334Battle of Megara, 1359Battle of Tripoli, 1367Battle of Rudau, 1370Battle of Beirut, 152010991520Siege of Damietta, 1169
107 placed engagements of Crusades in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date27 October 1169
to 16 December 1169
PlaceDamietta, Egypt
31.417N, 31.817E
KindSiege, medieval
StrengthFatimid Caliphate : UnknownByzantine Empire : While some sources mention 200 ships, William of Tyre recorded 150 galleys, 60 horse-transports, and several large dromons carrying supplies and siege engines. Meanwhile, Saladin's letters provided an exaggerated figure of 1,000 ships.; Kingdom of Jerusalem : Unknown
Casualties and lossesFatimid Caliphate : UnknownByzantine Empire : During their retreat in December, the Byzantine fleet; encountered severe winter storms, causing a large number of ships to sink.; Kingdom of Jerusalem : The Crusader siege engines were completely burned and destroyed.
Commanders
  • Amalric, King of Jerusalem
  • Andronikos Kontostephanos
Siege of DamiettaSiege of DamiettaSiege of DamiettaSiege of DamiettaBattle of DamiettaBattle of FariskurBattle of BaltimBattle of FariskurBattle of BaltimBur SaidIsmaïliaEl MansuraDamanhûrTantaRashidZagazigShibin el Kom100 km31.417N, 31.817E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 4 times between 1169 and 1799.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1169

Siege of Damietta is one of 438 engagements of the 12th century in the atlas and one of 110 in present-day Egypt.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q131290982, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Damietta (1169), revision 1375839011, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.