the second crusade Flashcards
what was the result of the preaching of Bernard of Clairvaux?
-the second crusade was much larger than the first in terms of numbers and many of those who joined had joined from families who had been on crusade.
who were the leaders of the second crusade?
-King Louis VII of France
-Conrad III of Germany
why did Louis of France decide to go on crusade?
-due to the church.
-his uncle Hugh of Vermandois had been on crusade and Louis was married to Eleanor of Acquitaine whos father William X of Acquitaine had been a crusader.
-1143 he had besieged a town and the inhabitants had taken refuge in the church but the building had caught fire and most died and the screams are said to have haunted him.
why did Conrad III decide to go on crusade?
-aged 54 in 1147.
what preparations were made for the second crusade?
-preparations took a year for Louis VII and decide to walk instead of using boat.
why did Louis VII walk?
-cheapest
-transport of horses was problematic
-same route as Germans
-avoided working with Rodger of Sicily who was an enemy of Conrad III and the emperor Manuel I
what happened with the siege of Lisbon?
-May 1147 a fleet of upto 200 ships with about 10,000 men on board left Dartford in Kent with the intention of sailing to Jerusalem to help with the crusade.
-made up of traders and merchants, when they reached Lisbon in June they were persuaded by Alfonso Henriques to join him in attacking the moors in Lisbon this lasted until Oct, some crusaders decided to stay.
-after this they were involved in the siege of Tortosa and some crusaders settled there.
-this meant that there was a small amount who carried on than who set out.
what issues arose for the Germany army once they left?
-set off in May 1147
-tensions in the ranks between the Slavs and the Germans, then once they reached Byzantine there were quarrels over food supply attacks on the local population and several losses in a flash flood, Manuel sent troops and the Germans attacked these which frustrated Manuel.
what was the situation like in the Byzantine army?
-Manuel had Turks still raiding his borders and his efforts to build a line of defensive forts to deter them had not been wholly successful but divisions among Muslims worked in his advantage.
-1147 agreed to a truce with the Turks as he feared the threat of Rodger II of Sicily.
-feared for the second crusade, had not asked for it as concerned on whether they would attack constantinople so his intention was to move the crusaders on as quick as possible.
what problems did the crusaders face as they moved past Constantinople?
-Conrad III ignored the advice of Manuel to stay in Byzantine territory and to send non-combants home, eventually split his forces in two but decided to follow route of first crusade overestimating the distance he could travel by day and failed to have water supplies.
-ambushed near Dorylaeum and most of them killed with Conrad having lost everything and falling seriously sick.
-French lingered in Constantinople until manuel spread rumours that the Germans had won a victory so they hurried off to share the victory, Louis caught up with Conrad and was dismayed to find that the germans were in such array.
when did Louis reach Antioch? and what happened on the journey there?
-reached Antioch in March 1148.
-while crossing the mountains the troops had become dangerously strung out with the Turks swooping in and out of crusader lines and severe loss of horses and men, so the Templars took over marshalling the forces.
-when they were close Louis VII and the immediate forces sailed to Antioch and left the rest of the army to follow the hard land journey
why did the crusaders abandon the plan to recapture Edessa once at Antioch?
-Raymond of Antioch had little interest in recovering Edessa and was on bad terms with Joscelin of Edessa he argued that Aleppo would be a better target as Nur-al Din was now established there and the capture would make them more secure.
-Louis recognised that Edessa was a lost cause since much of the city was destroyed.
-louis’s army was severely weakened by the Turks in Jan 1148 in a battle in the Cadmus mountains, French morale was low.
-Louis was increasingly hostile to Raymond as Eleanor was perceived at being too close to her uncle.
-louis saw his pilgrimage as greatest importance.
what rumors were there about Eleanor of Acquitaine and her uncle Raymond of Antioch?
-having an affair
-seemed justifiable after she asked Louis for a divorce in March 1148.
what happened after Antioch?
-Louis and his companions arrived at Jerusalem in May 1148 and welcomed by queen Melisende and Conrad III.
-chose to go on to Damascus which has been highly criticised.
what happened at Damascus?
-Crusaders took an advantage position on July 24th amid the orchards and gardens on the north-western outskirts of Damascus, but fearing that reinforcements would soon come and rescue the beseiged they moved their camp to the western side where they thought the walls were weaker.
-this proved to be an error as the eastern sector was poorly supplied with water and the walls were not weaker, and they withdrew on the 28th of July 1148
