The Mahdia campaign of 1087 A.D. was an attack on the North African town of Mahdia by armed ships from Genoa and Pisa in northern Italy. It had been prompted by the actions of its ruler Tamin (rule 1062-1108) as a pirate in waters off the Italian peninsula, along with his involvement in Sicily fighting the Norman invasion. The attack was led by Hugh of Pisa, with military aid from Rome; the nobleman Pantaleone from Amalfi was also involved, and the whole endeavour had the backing of Matilda of Tuscany. It succeeded in capturing the city, but they could not hold it; the money from the plunder was spent on the cathedral at Pisa and to build a new church. Jump to: navigation, search Mahdia, Arabic: المهدية (al-Mahdiya), is a Tunisian coastal city with 37,000 inhabitants, south of Monastir and southeast of Sousse. ... Location within Italy Flag of Genoa Christopher Columbus monument in Piazza Aquaverde Genoa (Italian Genova, Genoese Zena, French Gênes, German Genua) is a city and a seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria. ... Pisas coat of arms This article is about Pisa in Italy. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. ... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni (Left-Wing Democrats) Area  - City Proper  1290 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,546,807 almost 4,000,000 1... Amalfi, a town and archiepiscopal see of Campania, Italy, in the Gulf of Salerno, 24 miles southeast of Naples. ... Matilda of Tuscany from (1115) Matilda, countess of Tuscany (1046 – July 24, 1115), was the principal Italian supporter of Pope Gregory VII during the investiture controversy, and is one of the few medieval women to be remembered for her military accomplishments. ...

Crusade historian Carl Erdmann considers the raid a direct precursor to the First Crusade which occurred eight years later, as it was conducted under the banner of St. Peter against a Muslim ruler who was demonised in the accounts of it, and a form of indulgence was granted to the campaigners by Pope Victor III. The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II to regain control of the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Christian Holy Land from Muslims. ... Saint Peter, portrayed by Peter Paul Rubens in a papal chasuble and pallium holding keys, was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus and the first Pope of the Catholic Church. ... In Roman Catholic theology, an indulgence is the remission of the temporal punishment due to God for sin. ... The Blessed Victor III, né Dauferius (b. ...

References

• Erdmann, Carl. The Origin of the Idea of Crusade, tr. Marshall W. Baldwin, Walter Goffart. Princeton University Press, 1977.
• Cowdrey, H.E.J. "The Mahdia Campaign of 1087", in The English Historical Review, 92, 362 (Jan 1977), 1-29.