The Second Crusade

50 years after the dramatically successful First Crusade, Europe was once again preparing itself for Holy War. Christian Crusader States in the East, which had been established in the aftermath of the First Crusade, were coming under attack. This is the story of the Second Crusade.

In 1144, the Crusader state of Edessa came under attack by the increasingly powerful Turkish ruler Zenghi. In the winter of that year, Zenghi besieged the city, demanding it's surrender by the Christians before he launched his assault and it wasn't long before Edessa fell into his hands. On breaching the city, the Turks wreaked havoc, killing young and old, monks and nuns alike. This was a bitter blow for Christianity. Word of the calamity soon reached the ears of Pope Eugenius III and he called for a new Crusade. In December 1145, he wrote to King Louis VII of France, imploring him to take the Cross. In return, Louis and whoever joined him, were promised full remission of their previous sins. Louis took the Cross in March 1146, having already held discussions with his nobility about the venture the previous Christmas, and preparations began for the long and difficult journey.

One of the most important figures in recruiting participants for the Crusade was Bernard of Clairvaux. Bernard was overwhelmingly successful in his mission as he preached not only across France but also in Germany and the Low Countries. Men and Women, Young and Old greeted his message with tremendous enthusiasm. Bernard even convinced Conrad III, King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor, to join the expedition. The Crusade was gathering momentum. But, as with the First Crusade, things took a dark and truly dreadful turn. Strictly against Bernard's message, innocent communities of Jewish people were brutally attacked. Jews were killed in violent uprisings across France and Germany. In Wurzburg, a brutal murder of a man, with his body hacked to pieces, was blamed on the Jews, completely without evidence, and innocent men, women and children were murdered.

In 1147, a different type of Crusade, although intertwined with the Second Crusade, took place as men from Germany, with the approval of Bernard, launched an expedition to Christianise the Pagan Slavs. This is known as the Wendish Crusade and is the beginning of what is known as the Northern Crusades as parts of Europe remained stubbornly pagan. Also in 1147, men from England, France and the Low Countries took part in the siege of Lisbon. Their intended destination had been the East but were diverted towards Portugal. Centuries earlier, Iberia had been subject of Islamic conquest but now the Christian fightback in the peninsula was well and truly under way and the siege of Lisbon proved to be the most notable success for the Christians in its wars against Islam in the late 1140s.



On a hot June day in 1147, Louis VII would begin his journey. Among those travelling with him was his wife, the now infamous Eleanor of Aquitaine. Anticipation was high but Louis appeared to be in no particular hurry. At St Denis, he dined with some monks as members of his retinue were practically fainting from heat exhaustion which was exacerbated by high emotions. Finally Louis departed, lagging not too far behind Conrad III who would take ship at Regensburg. Conrad III would arrive at Constantinople, greeted by the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Comnenus. Although Manuel greeted Conrad warmly, there would have been high suspicion of the Crusaders intentions. During their journey, and having entered Byzantine territory, the Crusaders had caused something of a disturbance by plundering. Manuel sent out an army to keep an eye on these new arrivals into his empire and a battle broke out with the Byzantines besting the Crusaders, killing a number of Westerners. Conrad would have been glad to have reached Constantinople but tensions would certainly have existed.

Manuel, when he heard of Conrad's intentions to fight his Saracen enemies, was highly unconvinced. He warned his counterpart that they were heading into not only hostile territory but also into a terrain that was harsh and difficult. But Conrad remained steadfast in his determination to wage this Holy War and the Emperor provided him with ships and weaponry. However, it was not long before Conrad and his men got into difficulty. The Crusaders travelled onto Nicaea where they rested for three days. They came to a Muslim city called Laodicea which they intended to capture but soon succumbed to devastating thirst and hunger. The Muslims, seeing their enemies fragility, fell upon without mercy, killing and enslaving huge numbers. The arrival of Louis did nothing to change matters as his army also suffered huge losses. On hearing of the Crusaders' plight, Manuel wrote to Conrad, urging him to return to Constantinople. With little other option, Conrad accepted the offer.

In March 1148, Louis and his wife Eleanor arrived in Northern Syria with the French king intent on Jerusalem. At Symeon, Louis was greeted by Prince Raymond of Antioch, who happened to be Eleanor's Uncle. Raymond, in the arrival of the Crusaders, saw an opportunity to expand his own power by capturing neighbouring cities including Aleppo. However, Louis was absolutely hellbent on continuing onto Jerusalem and would not be diverted from that. Frustrated, Raymond turned against the French king and rumours even began to circulate that he had an affair with Eleanor. Louis became aware of these rumours and the marriage with Eleanor would go into rapid decline.



In the summer of 1148, Louis and Conrad held a council with the king of Jerusalem Baldwin III in which the decision was taken to try and tale Damascus. This would prove to be a total failure as huge numbers of Crusaders were killed in the effort of taking the city and they failed dismallu. Various explanations for the failure were concocted with one Chronicler blaming the Templar knights whom he accused of accepting bribes from the Muslims. With food and supplies running low, the decision was taken by the leaders of the Crusading army to return home. The Second Crusade had proved to be a total disaster.