Eighth Crusade

European history

Also known as: Second Crusade of Louis IX

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June 26, 2026

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The Eighth Crusade, which took place in 1270, was led by King Louis IX of France. Despite his strong religious devotion and bravery, this Crusade ended in tragedy. Instead of reaching the East, the expedition went to Tunis in North Africa. There, disease struck the troops, claiming the lives of both King Louis and his son, John Tristan. The Crusade concluded with the evacuation of the remaining army after securing an indemnity. Although it failed to aid the East, Louis IX became an ideal of a selfless warrior of Christ for Christians. The broader Crusades aimed to check the spread of Islam and retake the Holy Land.123

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Crusades
The Crusades of St. Louis
…but his second venture, the Eighth Crusade, never reached the East. The expedition instead went to Tunis, probably because of the influence of Louis’s brother Charles of Anjou, who had recently been named by the papacy as the successor to the Hohenstaufens in Sicily. In 1268 he defeated Conradin, the…
Read More
…but his second venture, the Eighth Crusade, never reached the East. The expedition instead went to Tunis, probably because of the influence of Louis’s brother Charles of Anjou, who had recently been named by the papacy as the successor to the Hohenstaufens in Sicily. In 1268 he defeated Conradin, the…
Read More