Alexandria. Imperial troops begin to pound the city’s defenses. The Pavia troops complete a tunnel, allowing the Teutonic Knights to emerge in force inside the city perimeter. However, the defenders’ morale does not collapse. The Alexandrians fight, and the Teutonic Knights find themselves facing the entire city population, as well as the League’s army. Stones and arrows rain down from windows and rooftops; it is the dead of night and the attackers are unfamiliar with the terrain. Then suddenly the tunnel collapses, burying at least 200 Teutonic knights, condemning them to a gruesome death. The Germans who had already entered are now isolated and surrender. The Alexandrian commanders take advantage of the confusion to decisively attack a large siege tower, setting it alight. As the massive structure collapses, it overwhelms Teutonic soldiers and Genoese crossbowmen, and the Alexandrian forces retreat to the safety of the city with hundreds of prisoners. By dawn on Easter Sunday, the imperial defeat was evident to all. It was one of the worst defeats of Frederick’s army, which now had to avoid being caught between the forces of Alexandria and those of the League.
