Crusades: Second Crusade

The Second Crusade,Second Crusade, 1147–49, was preached by St. Bernard of Clairvaux after the fall (1144) of Edessa to the Turks. It was led by Holy Roman Emperor Conrad III, whose army set out first, and by King Louis VII of France. Both armies passed through the Balkans and pillaged the territory of the Byzantine emperor, Manuel I, who provided them with transportation to Asia Minor in order to be rid of them. The German contingent, already decimated by the Turks, merged (1148) with the French, who had fared only slightly better, at Acre (Akko). A joint attack on Damascus failed because of jealousy and, possibly, treachery among the Latin princes of the Holy Land. Conrad returned home in 1148 and was followed (1149) by Louis. The Second Crusade thus ended in dismal failure.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Aftermath and Heritage of the Crusades
• Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Crusades
• Sixth Crusade
• Fourth, Children's, and Fifth Crusades
• Third Crusade
• Second Crusade
• The Later Crusades
• Course of the Crusade
• Origins
• Bibliography

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