The Second Crusade and its Interesting War Heroes

Who were some of the fascinating war heroes from the Second Crusade? How did the Christian Crusaders lose the Crusade?
The Second Crusade ended in ruin, but why? The leaders of the Second Crusade were all pretty cool in their own right, but when they came together to fight, they struggled. They mistrusted each other, so they didn’t work together. Eleanor of Aquitaine and Louis the Seventh were married, yet they couldn’t even work together! However, even though they couldn’t work together, the leaders of the Second Crusade were pretty cool. In fact, even though Bernard of Clairvaux didn’t fight, his speech got two kings and a queen to fight, along with countless nobles and peasants.
Why did people fight in the Second Crusade? Who were some of the most influential war heroes?

Why did People Fight in the Second Crusade?

Why did the Europeans fight the Second Crusade? The Turks were fighting against the Christian Europeans who took over the East. The main call to arms came after the City of Edessa fell. The Europeans planned on retaking Edessa and firming their hold all over the East. Unfortunately, their possession of the East weakened even further when they lost the war. Some people also had personal reasons to fight.

King Louis the Seventh wanted to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and the Crusade was a great way to do it. Louis even made a vow of Chastity for the whole time, meaning he was being very religious. The Church protected families, homes, and properties for the Crusaders. They also paused or terminated loan interest and forgave sins. Sometimes, Crusaders could pay off their debts with good service in the war, and after sacking cities, there was plenty of treasure to go around.

Why Did the Second Crusade Fail?

There were thousands and thousands of Christian Crusaders, yet they failed. Why? The Christian Crusaders ran into two main issues. Number one: they didn’t plan very well. They were in a desert, so there was little food and water. Many Crusaders starved because they could not find enough food or water on the way between cities, and even if they did survive between cities, the Turkish citizens often poisoned the wells outside the cities.

The second issue was a lack of coordination and mutual trust. A lot of the Crusader leaders fought amongst themselves. Some were suspicious of betrayal, and others had their own beliefs concerning their allies. Conrad the Third ignored good advice from the local people. Some armies pillaged cities along the way to the Crusades. In fact, Louis’ army stole from his allies’ countries. Everyone was so suspicious of the other countries that they could not work together as they needed to.

Bernard of Clairvaux

Bernard of Clairvaux didn’t fight in any battles, however, he was still very influential. He was a preacher who got the job of recruiting people for the Second Crusade. Bernard was a kid when Pope Urban launched the First Crusade (see my post on the First Crusade here). He promised the same perks that Pope Urban offered, such as spiritual rewards and the chance to take spoils and lands in the East.

Saint Bernard preaching the Second Crusade in Vézelay

He was a powerful preacher and inspired hundreds of people to go on the Second Crusade. In fact, many nobles and royals joined because of him. The First Crusade didn’t have royals leading it (see my post about the First Crusade here). Bernard was essential to the Second Crusade.

Conrad the Third

The Crusaders split up, so they had different leaders. Conrad the Third, king of Germany, was the head of the German Crusaders. He was one of the many Crusaders who heard Bernard of Clairvaux speak about the Crusades. He agreed to go on Crusade with none other than King Louis the Seventh of France. Conrad took the land route with 20,000 men.

Conrad III and his armies in Hungary from the Chronicon Pictum

Unfortunately, he didn’t plan well, and his journey was perilous. It also took a lot longer than Conrad thought it would. He sent others along a different route that was far safer. He should have taken his whole force along that route. At the end of his march, he fought in the disastrous Battle of Dorylaeum. He lost the battle, and many of his soldiers died. He was also part of the Battle of Damascus, an extremely damaging loss. These losses, along with many others, led to the Crusaders losing the Second Crusade.

Louis the Seventh

Louis the Seventh wasn’t a traditional warrior king, yet he led the French armies in the Second Crusade. Eleanor of Aquitaine said, “I married a monk, not a king.” She was partially correct on that note. Louis was not the original heir to the French throne. He was supposed to join the Church. His brother Philip was the heir until his untimely death. Louis the Seventh went on crusade partially to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

Raymond of Poitiers welcoming Louis the Seventh in Antioch

The Second Crusade led to the end of Eleanor and Louis’ relationship. Louis became jealous of a man who was rumored to be having an affair with Eleanor. It also hurt France as a whole. Louis disagreed with her about how to attack, and his choice ended in ruin. Instead of recapturing Edessa, he went on to Jerusalem. He lost multiple battles, including the Battle of Mount Cadmus. Seljuk Turks attacked his forces. He fought well but still lost the skirmish.

Eleanor of Aquitaine

People remember Eleanor of Aquitaine for marrying two kings, raising multiple kings, running her “courts of love, ” and leading her country. She was also influential in the Second Crusade. Sometimes, women had to go with their husbands on Crusade. Eleanor chose to join the Crusade and did her best to help along the way. In fact, she joined the Second Crusade as the Duchess of Aquitaine and led her own army of “Amazons.”

Queen Eleanor

These Amazons were women following her example. She worked with her uncle Raymond and visited him with her husband, Louis. However, she disagreed with Louis about war strategy. That quickly hurt their married life and ended in an Annulment. She refused to leave Raymond’s court, so Louis arrested her. After the Second Crusade, Eleanor’s enemies claimed the failure was her fault because she got more women to fight, distracting the men.

Siege of Damascus

Who was your favorite war hero from the Second Crusade? Let me know in the comments! Also, let me know if you have any questions. I really appreciate feedback!