 In April 1289, the city of Tripoli, in Syria, was taken by the Egyptians, who imprisoned the Latin armies in Acre. The Crusades are nearing their end, and it is a delicate political moment, among others, for the Genoese who had taken part in the Crusades. Even if the defense of Tripoli and Acre were not important priorities for the papacy, Pope Nicholas IV asked the kings of Europe to support the Crusade, which spawned a series of initiatives to support the reconquest of the Holy Land.