The Ayyubid sultan who defeated the Fifth Crusade and then, remarkably, ceded Jerusalem to Emperor Frederick II by negotiated treaty rather than war.
Life
Al-Kamil (reigned 1218–1238), nephew of Saladin, defended Egypt against the Fifth Crusade, whose army he defeated in 1221. In a striking act of diplomacy he concluded a treaty with the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in 1229, peacefully handing over Jerusalem for a decade — a deal that scandalized zealots on both sides. He also received, by tradition, Francis of Assisi in his camp. A pragmatic ruler, he prized negotiation and stability over holy war.