 Pope Innocent proclaimed the Fifth Crusade in 1213 , with the " liberation of the Holy Land " ( the <unk> of Jerusalem ) its principal object . The first crusader troops , commanded by Leopold VI of Austria , landed at Acre in early September 1217 . Andrew II of Hungary and his army followed that month , and Hugh I of Cyprus and Bohemond IV of Antioch soon joined the crusaders . However , hundreds of crusaders soon returned to Europe because of a famine following the previous year 's poor harvest . A war council was held in the tent of Andrew II , who considered himself the supreme commander of the crusader army . Other leaders , particularly John , did not acknowledge Andrew 's leadership . The crusaders raided nearby territory ruled by Al @-@ Adil I for food and <unk> , forcing the sultan to retreat in November 1217 . In December John besieged the Ayyubid fortress on Mount <unk> , joined only by Bohemond IV of Antioch . He was unable to capture it , which " encouraged the <unk> " , according to the contemporary Jacques de <unk> . 
