Second Crusade

Second Crusade, 1145 - 1148

After Edessa was recaptured by the Muslims in 1144, the Second Crusade was summoned by Roman bishop Eugenius III, and preached by Bernard of Clairvaux in France and Germany. The Second Crusade was a failure, and ended when the French army, enroute to Edessa, attacked but failed to take Damascus in 1148.

News of the fall of Edessa reverberated throughout Europe, and the Second Crusade was called by Pope Eugenius III. Though the enthusiasm of 1095 was never again matched, a number of major figures joined the Second Crusade, including Holy Roman Emperor Conrad III and France's King Louis VII.... In consultation with King Baldwin III of Jerusalem and his nobles, the Crusaders decided to attack Damascus in July. The expedition failed to take the city, and shortly after the collapse of this attack, the French king and the remains of his army returned home. The Second Crusade resulted in many Western casualties ... .
"Crusades," Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia © 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

... Pope Eugenius III in 1145 issued a formal crusade bull, the first of its kind, with precisely worded provisions designed to protect crusaders' families and property ... . The Crusade, energetically supported by Louis VII, was preached by St. Bernard of Clairvaux in France and, with interpreters, even in Germany....
¶ The Second Crusade had been promoted with great zeal and had aroused high hopes. Its collapse caused deep dismay, and subsequent expeditions, perhaps wisely, were more limited in their objectives. The Muslims, on the other hand, were enormously encouraged. They had confronted the danger of another major Western expedition and had triumphed over it.
Copyright © 1994-2000 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., Crusade: The era of the Second and Third Crusades

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