Why did the Latin Christians join the Second Crusade? Flashcards
what are 3 reasons for why Latin Christians joined the Second Crusade?
- Social Pressure Following the Loss of Edessa
- Religious Conviction & the Preaching of Bernard of Clairvaux
- Feudal Obligation
what Social Pressure to crusade was there Following the Loss of Edessa?
- Considerable social pressure on Western knights to avenge the new ‘wrongs’ done to Christians in the East.
- News of the fall of Edessa horrified the West; the interest and enthusiasm aroused by the First Crusade had, until this point, quietened down.
why was there Considerable social pressure on Western knights to avenge the new ‘wrongs’ done to Christians in the East, following the loss of Edessa?
- The papal bull, Quantum praedecessores, that called for the Second Crusade made specific reference to the fall of Edessa and implored Christians to reclaim lost territory and defend the Eastern Church.
- In Quantum Praedecessores, Eugenius III strongly hinted that the knights of Europe would be lesser men than their fathers if they allowed the successes of the First Crusade to be lost. The survivors of the First Crusade had been lionised as heroes throughout western Christendom.
what impact did News of the fall of Edessa have on the West?
News of the fall of Edessa horrified the West; since Baldwin I’s reign there had been few armed pilgrim companies or ‘crusading’ (1101 crusade ended in disaster); the shock of the disaster at Edessa roused the Latin West to action again.
what evidence is there that feudal pressure was important in people joining the second crusade?
The kings of France and Germany ‘took the cross’. Crusading was, theoretically, voluntary, but the participation of these kings would have placed great feudal pressure on their barons to join them. Those barons, in turn, expected their knights to join them.
how did news of the fall of edessa reach the west?
Summer 1145: News of Edessa’s fate reached Rome just after Eugenius III had been elected, brought by Bishop Hugh of Jabala
who did Eugenius III address Quantum praedecessores to?
Louis VII and the French
how did Quantum praedecessores use religious devotion to motivate?
- In Quantum Praedecessores, Eugenius vigorously emphasised the tradition of the church and appealed to the precedents set by his predecessors by describing the part played by Urban II in the First Crusade
- Christians were summoned to fight for the Church in the East to help enhance the dignity of Christendom. They would obtain remission of sins. and their possessions were to be protected by the Church.
which second crusade leader seems to have been motivated by Quantum praedecessores?
Louis VII seems to have been attracted to the spiritual incentives outlined and to have undertaken the crusade as a form of pilgrimage.
why did Eugenius III commission Bernard of Clairvaux to preach the crusade?
Due to the poor general response
how did Bernard of Clairvaux gain more supporters for the Second Crusade?
- Bernard embarked upon an intensive 7-month tour of the Low Countries and the Rhineland.
- The extraordinary charisma of Bernard, allied to careful control of official preachers, and the circulation of official letters, yielded excellent results.
what message did Bernard of Clairvaux preach to people about the Second Crusade?
Bernard’s message laid great emphasis on the need for personal salvation and the opportunity that God had so graciously presented to this ‘lucky generation’, a generation that would be foolish to spurn such a heaven-sent chance.
what evidence is there that Bernard of Clairvaux was a successful preacher?
- His rallies were often highly charged and widespread report of miracles followed in his wake
- The response prior to the preaching of Bernard was disappointing, underlining the importance of his preaching in explaining participation
which crusader joined the Second crusade in response to bernard of Clairvaux?
Conrad III took part in response to hearing Bernard’s preaching
why, Even before the fall of Edessa, had Louis VII been anxious to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem?
- His brother Philip had taken a crusading oath but died before he could fulfil it. Louis intended to go on his brother’s behalf
- Louis VII looked upon the crusade to secure penance and repair his relations with the papacy. It is likely that he merely exploited the news of the fall of Edessa to advance existing plans.
why did Louis VII need to secure penance and repair his relations with the papacy?
- 1141: Louis had been threatened with excommunication for removing a bishop and had been pardoned on condition that he would crusade in the future.
- 1142: Louis seized the town of Vitry in Champagne and 1300 people who had taken refuge in the church were killed when it burnt down.
why had Louis VII been threatened with excommunication in 1141?
for removing a bishop
why was Louis VII not excommunicated in 1141?
he had been pardoned on condition that he would crusade in the future.
where did Louis VII take the cross?
Easter Sunday, 31 March 1146: Louis VII and many of his nobles ‘took the cross’ at Vezelay.
why was Conrad III initially reluctant to participate in the second crusade?
due to turmoil and disorder within his own lands
what allowed Conrad III to take the cross?
he was initially reluctant to participate due to turmoil and disorder within his own lands; Bernard of Clairvaux resolved these crises allowing Conrad to take the cross.
what may have motivated Conrad III’s participation in the second crusade, if not religious devotion?
Conrad’s participation may have come from a desire to assert the traditional role of the Holy Roman Emperor as the defender of Christendom. The king enjoyed unusually good relations with the papacy.
how did Conrad III prepare for the Second Crusade?
Conrad III laid careful plans through the spring of 1147, and an assembly at Aachen in March 1147 est. peace in his lands and confirmed his son Henry as his successor
