Battle of Agridi The Battle of Agridi was fought in 15 June 1232 between the forces loyal to Henry I of Cyprus ( such as those of the Ibelin family ) and the imperial army of Frederick II , composed mostly of men from Lombardy . It resulted in an Ibelin victory and the successful relief of the siege of Dieudamour , an Ibelin castle on Cyprus . Frederick II , as regent for his young son Conrad II of Jerusalem , appointed five bailiffs to govern Cyprus much to the displeasure of the local nobility . This was greatly opposed by the Ibelin family and they , supported by the government of the king of Cyprus ( a feudatory of Jerusalem ) and of Jerusalem , made war on the five bailiffs . Initially successful in controlling the chief fortresses of the island , in the first half of 1232 , one of the bailiffs , Aimery Barlais , conquered most of Cyprus save Dieudamour and Buffavento for the emperor . The Ibelins responded by trying to bribe the Genoese into an alliance with them by offering them commercial privileges at Cypriot ports as well as land grants . This failed , however . The Ibelins and Cypriots assembled a meagre force of 233 mounted men as opposed to the massive Lombard force of 2 , 000 horse . Their army was divided into five battles . Four were lined up under the command of Hugh of Ibelin , Anceau of Brie , Baldwin of Ibelin , and John of Caesarea . Balian of Beirut , though he was supposed to be with the rearguard , lined up at the front beside Hugh and Anceau . The rearguard was commanded by John I of Beirut and Henry of Cyprus . The Lombard vanguard was led by Walter of Manepeau , who charged as far as the Ibelin rearguard beforing turning around and leading his men at the fourth battle under John of Caesarea . They were repulsed and fled . The second Lombard battle made a successful charge at the force under Hugh ' s command , but the men of Anceau readily came to his rescue . After this , " battle subsequently developed as a series of confused individual combats , in which some great feats of arms were performed . . . . though carried out from a position of complete order , [ the charge ] had merely been the prelude to an untidy mêlée . " During the mêlée , Berart of Manepeau was dismounted by Anceau of Brie and seventeen comrades who dismounted to help him were killed by sergeants on foot before he recovered . The young Balian gained a reputation defending a pass from the Lombards . In the end , the arrival of between 50 and 60 " sergans à pié " ( foot sergeants ) from the town of Agridi was critical to their success . According to " L ' Estoire de Eracles empereur et la conqueste de la terre de Outremer " : " . . . une chose y ot , qui aida moult a Chypreis : ce que il avoient sergens a pié ; dont il avenoit que , quant un de lor chevaliers estoit abatus , que li sergent le relevoient , et le remetoient a cheval . Et quant un des autres estoit abatus , piestant l ' ocioient li sergent et prenoient . . . " . . . there was one thing which greatly helped the Cypriots : they had foot sergeants , which meant that when one of their knights was knocked down , the sergeants helped him up and remounted him on a horse . And when one of the Lombards was struck down , he was either killed or captured by the foot sergeants . Following the battle , John of Beirut , with funds from Henry of Cyprus , hired thirteen Genoese galleys to aid in the siege of Kyrenia .