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Click the red cross to the right to hear the story of The Second Crusade |
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The Christians had regained the Holy Land and
pilgrims could come safely to Jerusalem once again. This was
due to the valiant victory of
the First Crusade. The Holy Land was in the hands of the Christians
but it was in great danger of being attacked by strong Turkish
forces. On December 24, 1144, the Turks seized the city of Edessa,
and murdered all of the inhabitants and the Muslims began to
overpower the crusader states. The Christians in the Holy Land asked
for help. In 1145, Bishop Eugenius III responded with the call and
urged the Christians of Western Europe to renew the battle. This
started the Second Crusade. |
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Second
Crusade Routes |
Second Crusade started in May 1147 with two
significant leaders, Louis VII of France, and Conrad III of
Germany. King Louis VII took the queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine,
with him. Louis was 23 years old, Eleanor was 22 and Conrad was 51.
From the very beginning the Second Crusade was met with a series of misfortunes. Unfaithful guides led Conrad's army many miles out of its way and many died from hunger and thirst before reaching the Holy Land. Also, the crusaders were being followed by the Turks. The Turks captured the stragglers and made many unexpected attacks as they crossed Anatolia. King Louis' army also suffered from Turkish attacks in Turkey and very few crusades were left. The small number of crusaders who made it to the Holy Land found it difficult to live peacefully with the local Christian lords. To make matters worst, the two kings hated each other and the crusaders fought among themselves while the Muslims continued to recapture lands.
From the very beginning the Second Crusade was met with a series of misfortunes. Unfaithful guides led Conrad's army many miles out of its way and many died from hunger and thirst before reaching the Holy Land. Also, the crusaders were being followed by the Turks. The Turks captured the stragglers and made many unexpected attacks as they crossed Anatolia. King Louis' army also suffered from Turkish attacks in Turkey and very few crusades were left. The small number of crusaders who made it to the Holy Land found it difficult to live peacefully with the local Christian lords. To make matters worst, the two kings hated each other and the crusaders fought among themselves while the Muslims continued to recapture lands.
In July 1148, the crusaders united their efforts to capture the city of Damascus from the Muslims. However, they were ill-prepared and made a half-hearted attempt to capture Damascus but failed. The crusaders laid siege on Damascus but after four days, King Louis and King Conrad gave up the siege and returned to their own countries without having accomplished anything.
Additional learning resource: http://later-rain.com/ltrain/cufor.htm
PAGE
Textbooks:
World
History - Medieval and Early Modern Times.
Evanston
Across
the Centuries.
Boston
Internet Websites:
Jones, Robert. “The Fourth Crusade” The Crusades: A
Brief History (1095 -1291) 2004
<http://www.sundayschoolcourses.com/crusades/index.htm#_Toc63601725>
Knox, Skip. “The Fourth Crusade” History of the
Crusade <http://crusade.boisestate.edu/4th/13.shtm>
Dr. Carr, Karen. “The Late Middle Ages –The Fourth
Crusade” Kidipede – History for
Kids
<http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/medieval/history/latemiddle/fouthcrusade.htm>
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