Fourteenth-century commercial relations between Mamluk Egypt and European city-states were generally regulated by treaties, consular representation, and guarantees for merchants. These arrangements did not prevent periodic violence when some Frankish rulers revived crusading ambitions. Alexandria, the principal Egyptian port named in the extract, became the target of a major allied attack in 1365.

Cypriot forces acted together with Venetian and Genoese contingents to raid and plunder the city. The assault caused extensive material damage and heavy suffering among Alexandria’s population. Egyptian chronicles described it as one of the most terrible catastrophes in the city’s history.

The raid disrupted relations between Egypt and European merchants for a prolonged period. Trade connections were strained, and years passed before the parties restored normal dealings and concluded new commercial treaties. The event illustrates the vulnerability of Alexandria’s commercial prosperity to military action at sea.