The Launch of the Second Crusade and Bernard of Clairvaux’s Preaching (1146 CE)

By 1146, King Louis VII of France was already preparing a Crusade of his own, seemingly independent of Pope Eugenius III’s bull calling for the Second Crusade in response to the fall of Edessa (1144).

It is possible that embassies from the East had appealed directly to Louis, prompting him to plan his own campaign before fully committing to the Pope’s directive. However, after consulting with the eloquent Bernard of Clairvaux, Louis ultimately sought papal blessing, ensuring that his Crusade received full ecclesiastical approval.

In response, Eugenius III reissued the Crusade bull on March 1, 1146, and Bernard began preaching the Crusade throughout France.

Initial Lack of Popular Enthusiasm

• Unlike the First Crusade of 1095, which had generated massive popular fervor, the call for the Second Crusade initially met with little enthusiasm.
• Memories of the hardships and failures of the First Crusade likely made people hesitant to embark on another campaign.
• Bernard, recognizing the need to rekindle religious zeal, emphasized taking the cross as a means of absolution for sin and spiritual grace, reinforcing the idea of Crusading as both a pilgrimage and an act of penance.

Bernard’s Preaching at Vézelay (March 31, 1146)

• On March 31, 1146, Bernard preached the Second Crusade at Vézelay, with King Louis VII present.
• The sermon took place in a large open field, as no church could hold the enormous crowd that had gathered.
• When Bernard finished his sermon, the response was overwhelming—so many people enlisted that they ran out of cloth to make crosses.
• Bernard is said to have torn his own outer garments to make more crosses, symbolizing the passion and devotion he had inspired.

The Nobility and the Common People Answer the Call

Unlike the First Crusade, which was largely noble-led but driven by popular enthusiasm, the Second Crusade attracted a much larger contingent of European royalty. Notable figures who took the cross included:

• Eleanor of Aquitaine, then Queen of France, who would become one of the most famous women associated with the Crusades.
• Thierry of Alsace, Count of Flanders.
• Henry, the future Count of Champagne.
• Robert I of Dreux, Louis VII’s brother.
• Alphonse I of Toulouse.
• William II of Nevers.
• William de Warenne, third Earl of Surrey.
• Hugh VII of Lusignan, along with numerous other nobles and bishops.

However, an even greater show of support came from the common people, with Bernard reporting that:

“Cities and castles are now empty. There is not left one man to seven women, and everywhere there are widows to still living husbands.”

This hyperbolic description suggests that large numbers of men had taken the cross, leaving behind families and homes in pursuit of spiritual redemption and military glory.

The Second Crusade Gains Momentum

• With Bernard’s successful preaching, the Second Crusade gained enormous traction, now led by some of the most powerful rulers of Europe.
• The movement soon extended beyond France, with Conrad III of Germany also taking the cross, turning the campaign into a pan-European effort.
• Bernard would later extend his recruitment efforts to Germany, where he would convince Conrad III to join, further strengthening the Crusade’s leadership.

While the Second Crusade ultimately ended in failure, its dramatic launch at Vézelay in 1146 remains one of the most famous moments in medieval history, showcasing Bernard of Clairvaux’s unparalleled ability to inspire religious fervor and mobilize European forces.

Nur ad-Din proves to be one of the most dangerous enemies the Frankish kingdom has ever faced.

Starting out as Emir of Aleppo, he had steadily increased his territory at the expense of his Muslim and Latin neighbors, until he gained the great city of Damascus in 1154.

He had seriously defeated the Crusaders at the Battle of Lake Huleh in 1157, but fell very ill immediately afterward, allowing the Franks to a chance to recover and, with the help of Thierry of Alsace and an army of pilgrims, to capture Harim castle later in the year.

However, an attack on Shaizar failed when Reynald of Châtillon, the Prince of Antioch, quarreled with the other Franks.

Consequently, Shaizar soon became the property of Nur ad-Din.

In 1158, Thierry and King Baldwin III had defeated Nur ad-Din at Butaiha, northeast of Tiberias.

The year 1160 had seen the capture of Reynald, who will spend the next sixteen years in Nur ad-Din's dungeons.

In December 1161, the Emperor Manuel I Comnenus had married Maria of Antioch and this event has given Antioch a strong protector in the emperor.

Amalric, count of Jaffa and Ascalon, succeeds his elder brother Baudouin III to the throne of Jerusalem in 1163.

Both Amalric and Nur ad-Din had soon become aware of the weakness of Fatimid Egypt, whose government has fallen into a state of decay.

After the assassination of Caliph al-Zafir and a series of palace coups, Shawar had seized power in 1162, was soon deposed, and appealed to Nur ad-Din for help.

Neither the Latin king nor the Muslim emir can afford to let the other capture the rich prize of Egypt.

Accordingly, Nur ad-Din had sent his lieutenant Shirkuh with an army to support the Egyptian vizier.

While Shirkuh campaigns in Egypt, Nur ad-Din mounts an offensive in Lebanon.

Following Latin policy, King Amalric takes an army to support his northern vassals, Bohemund III of Antioch and Raymond III of Tripoli.

Fortuitously, a large group of French pilgrims led by Hugh VIII of Lusignan and Geoffrey Martel, the brother of William IV of Angoulême, have joined the king of Jerusalem.

In addition, Constantine Kalamanos, the governor of Cilicia, has brought his Greek warriors to assist the Crusaders.

Nur ad-Din is no match for such a formidable combination of enemies and his army suffers a defeat.

Both Muslims and Franks are impressed by the fighting qualities of the imperial soldiers.

The negative result of al-Buqaia only makes Nur ad-Din more keen for revenge.