The Second Crusade was called by Pope Eugene III after the fall of the Crusader county of Edessa to the Muslim ruler Zengi in 1144. It was preached with great energy by Bernard of Clairvaux, and it was the first crusade led by European kings, Louis VII of France and Conrad III of Germany. Both armies were badly damaged by Turkish forces in Anatolia on the way, and in 1148 the crusaders besieged Damascus, a Muslim city that had been friendly to the Christian states, and had to abandon the siege after a few days. The campaign in the Holy Land failed. Crusaders in other theatres had more success, as an expedition helped the Portuguese king capture Lisbon from the Moors in 1147. The failure helped Nur ad-Din and later Saladin to unite Muslim opposition.
Before and after
- from 25 July 1139 to 5 October 1910Kingdom of Portugal
- from 1140 to 1530Gothic art
- 1147Construction of Koutoubia Mosque
- 1147Construction of Maulbronn Monastery
- from 1147 to 1149Second Crusade
- 1148Founding of Offenburg
- from 24 July 1148 to 28 July 1148Siege of Damascus
- 12th centuryOrigins of Citadel of Aleppo
- from 1150 to 1971Founding of University of Paris
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 1095 to 1291Crusades
- 1212Children's Crusade
- from 1213 to 1221Fifth Crusade
- from 1248 to 1254Seventh Crusade
- from 18 July 1270 to 30 October 1270Eighth Crusade
- 30 March 1282Sicilian Vespers
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 12th century.