The seventh Crusade, led by Louis XVI, arrives at the coast of Egypt in the summer of 1249. He orders his men to charge down the gates of the citadel and seize control of the city. He tells his son-in-law, the Duke of Albany, that he has ordered the men to do so because the resistance will be weaker. The Duke tells him that the pope has been plotting to check the progress of the Crusades, but that Frederick of Germany, the old friend of the Duke, has been trying to avoid the mission. He says that it appears that the gods have begun to doubt the Duke's trustworthiness. He warns him to inform the pope that if he fails to keep his word, neither god or army will protect him from his fury.