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| The Second Crusade 1147-1149 |
After the Christian victories of the first crusade, rivalries and infighting amongst the new crusader kingdoms began to occur while Muslim armies slowly reorganized.
In 1144 a Seljuq army recaptured Edessa, the first crusader state. This conquest shocked the West and lead to a call for a second crusade, mainly propagated by the cleric Bernard of Clairvaux.The French King Louis VII and the Germanic King Conrad III followed and marched to Jerusalem in 1147. Conrad III was defeated by a Seljuq army at Dorylaeum. Many soldiers and pilgrims returned home.
After another failed attack on Damascus, both armies and their leaders returned to their respective countries.The failure of the 2nd crusade strengthened the Muslim forces. Saladin had conquered Egypt in 1171, followed by Syria and in 1187 and finally, Jerusalem. The Crusaders were only left with the posession of Tyrus.The loss of Jerusalem was a great shock for the Christian Occident. |
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