EARLY in the spring of 1147, Europe was in commotion. Everywhere in Germany and France, men were seen with the cross on their shoulders. Shepherds flung down their crooks, husbandmen abandoned their teams, traders quitted their booths, barons left their castles, and bishops deserted their bishoprics, to arm for the defence of the Holy Sepulchre. From England, exhausted by dynastic war, and Italy, agitated by ecclesiastical strife, bands of warriors issued to swell the armies of Conrad and Louis. Many ladies armed themselves for this crusade, and prepared to signalise their prowess under the leadership of a female warrior whose dress excited much admiration, and whose gilded boots procured her the name of " Golden-legs."
At Ratisbon, about Easter, the Emperor of Germany assembled his warriors. Accompanied by a host of nobles, among whom were his brother Otho, Bishop of Frisigen; his nephew, Frederick Barbarossa, Duke of Suabia; the Marquis of Montferrat, and the Duke of Bohemia, Conrad commenced his march eastward at the head of a hundred thousand men, and sent messengers to announce to the Emperor of the East the intention of the crusaders to cross the Greek territories.
At this period, Emanuel Comnenus reigned at Constantinople. Emanuel was grandson of Alexis, whose cunning had wrought the first crusaders so much annoyance, and quite equal in duplicity to his predecessor. On receiving Conrad's message, he returned an answer highly complimentary. But while professing great friendship for the new crusaders, he made all their movements known to the Saracens, and so managed matters that their march was frequently interrupted.
The elements appeared not less hostile to Conrad's army than the Greeks. While the Germans encamped to keep the Feast of Assumption, in a valley on the river Melas, a storm suddenly rose, and swelled so violently that horses, baggage, and tents were carried away. The crusaders, amazed and terrified, gathered themselves up; and, deploring their mishaps, pursued the way to Constantinople.
The Emperor of the East was not by any means overjoyed at seeing a rival Caesar before his capital. Emanuel Comnenus showed, like his grandsire, some doubts of the crusaders' good faith; and would no doubt have manifested his antipathy more strongly, if Conrad's army had been less formidable. As it was, the German Emperor did not meet with any temptation to prolong his visit. Instead, therefore, of awaiting the arrival of the French at Constantinople, Conrad made haste to cross the Bosphorus.
No sooner was Conrad on Asiatic soil, than the perfidy of the Greeks became manifest. Every city was fortified -- every gate closed. Even provisions, for which the crusaders had prepared to pay, were obtained with difficulty; and Greek traders, while buying and selling, proved as dishonest as their Emperor. Before being supplied with meal, the Germans had to place money in a basket lowered from the ramparts; and the meal, after being obtained, was generally found to be adulterated with lime. Moreover, insult was added to injury: for, however grudgingly the Greeks furnished provisions, they were by no means sparing of ridicule.
But this was not the worst. The Greek guides, recommended to Conrad by Emanuel, proved treacherous in the extreme; and the Germans' line of march was so well known to the Saracens, that ambuscades awaited them in every defile, and stragglers were cut off at every turn. At length, when the crusaders reached the river Meander, the Moslems in great force awaited them on the opposite bank.
The Emperor and his men had grown so weary of marching side by side with treacherous friends, that they were not, perhaps, sorry to have courageous foes face to face. The river, however, had not the appearance of being fordable; and the crusaders had a very slender prospect of coming to close conflict with their foes. Conrad, however, was not to be baffled. After exhorting them to do their duty, he gave the signal for dashing onward; and the crusaders, urged to heroism, plunged boldly into the river. The consequence is said to have been somewhat startling to the foe. The stream, suddenly stopped by the multitude of men in bucklers, corslets, and steel brassets, seemed to stand still; and the Saracens, astonished at seeing their enemies pass as if on dry land, concluded that they were aided by supernatural powers.
The crusaders, without delay, availed themselves of the effect produced; and the Saracens were so amazed, that they had scarcely courage to make a struggle. The victory of the Germans was soon complete; and the vanquished were killed in such numbers, that their bones long afterwards formed mounds along both banks of the river.
After this triumph, which perhaps inspired the Germans with an idea of invincibility, Conrad led them towards Iconium. But at this point his enemies were prepared for a desperate struggle. The Sultan of Iconium had assembled a mighty army to oppose the crusaders' passage; and the Greek guides soon led the Emperor's soldiers into the Sultan's snare.
While Conrad and liis men, near Laodicea, were toiling, under a burning sun, through narrow passes, turbans and spear-heads became visible on the mountains; and gradually a Moslem host appeared in view. The crusaders, pent up in defiles and encumbered with heavy armor, were in no condition to encounter such foes with success; and the Saracens, making attacks with the velocity of hawks coming down on their prey, allowed them no rest. The crusaders suffered to such an intolerable degree, that corpses strewed their line of march; and Conrad, finding that his army had gradually melted away, prepared to retreat. Escaping, more by good luck than good guidance, from the Saracens' pursuit, the Germans, reduced to a tenth of their original number, contrived to find their way to Constantinople
Meanwhile, the King of France was in motion. About the Feast of Pentecost, Louis proceeded to the Abbey of St. Denis to take from the altar the national standard of France, which, from a stafF of gold and a banner with edges shaped like flames, derived the name of "Oriflamme." Having received the ori-flamme, and the abbot's permission to depart from the kingdom, Louis, accompanied by Queen Eleanor, with her ladies and troubadours, directed his course towards Metz, which had been appointed as a rendezvous; and, gathering into one great army at that place the forces which had come from all parts of France, he marched towards Constantinople.
On reaching Constantinople, about the beginning of October, Louis met with a reception infinitely more flattering than had been given to Conrad. Emanuel was all politeness, and expressed the utmost friendship for the French warriors. At first they were deceived; but, ere long, intelligence that he was in regular alliance with the Saracens, roused their indignation. A council being held, many of the crusaders evinced their desire to seize Constantinople; but the more timid argued for moderation, and carried the day. Emanuel, however, feeling uneasy at their presence, spread reports that the Germans had gained- great victories in the East, and the French, impatient to share the glory and the spoil, hastened across the Bosphorus.
Scarcely, however, had Louis and his comrades entered Bithynia. when news of Conrad's defeat reached them. The French, nevertheless, pursued their expedition with ardor, and ere long indulged in a dangerous feeling of security. The result was most unfortunate. On leaving Laodicea and entering the mountain passes, they found themselves exposed to precisely the same dangers which had destroyed Conrad's army; and one day, while they were entering a valley, and everything seemed so secure that everybody was in confusion, the Saracens suddenly appeared on the heights.
The crusaders were completely taken by surprise. The vanguard, under protection of which were the Queen and her ladies, was fortunately in a position to escape. But the main body, with which Louis marched, was encompassed with danger. Above, were Saracens with "fierce faces threatening war;" beneath, steep precipices and yawning gulphs. The conflict was commenced by the Saracens. Rushing from the heights, with sound of clarion and drum and with fearful yells, they came down upon the pilgrim army like a wliirlwind. Having no room either to advance or retreat, the crusaders found their plight intolerable; and many, when pushed over the precipice, in a desperate effort to escape their fate dragged others into the abyss. Nothing could have surpassed the horrors of the scene, as masses of rock came. crashing from the mountains on one side, and men and horses were hurled over the rocks on the other.
While all around was panic and despair, Louis, rallying some of his bravest knights, attempted to charge up the hill, and, after thirty nobles had fallen by his side, succeeded in reaching a mass of rock which projected itself midway. Perched on this ledge, with his back against a tree, the King had to withstand. the attack of several Saracens. His fate seemed sealed. But luckily, the assailants, unaware of his rank, and eager to participate in the spoil, left him as of no consequence; and Louis, escaping as if by miracle, mounted a stray horse, avoided countless perils, met at nightfall with some of his soldiers, and under their guidance rejoined his van.
This disaster was succeeded by others hardly less intolerable. As winter approached, the weather became so cold and rainy, that the prospects of the army were gloomy in the extreme. All the horrors of the first crusade had to be endured; and at length, when the crusaders, sick at heart, arrived at Attalia, they were famished and in rags.
Attalia was a city inhabited by Greeks, and governed by the Emperor of the East. Of course the reception of the crusaders was the reverse of cordial; and Louis, encamping outside the walls, asked his nobles to decide what was to be done.
While the crusaders were discussing various plans, the Governor of Attalia sent to offer Louis vessels to convey him to a place of safety; and Louis, accepting the offer, embarked with the queen, his lords, and what remained of his cavalry, and sailed for Antioch. The rest of the army, left to their fate, were in a most unenviable position. The Greeks declined to receive them into Attalia; and they were in no condition to resist the Saracens. Some, rendered desperate, embraced the Mahometan religion; the others, exhausted by hunger and fatigue, died by the swords of the Saracens.
It was the 19th of March, 1148, when Louis and Eleanor sailed for Antioch, which was then under the government of Raymond of Poictiers, Eleanor's uncle, a princely adventurer, who had made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and espoused the grand-daughter of Boemund of Tarentum. The King and Queen of France were warmly welcomed by Raymond, and the crusaders soon forgot, in a gay and brilliant court, the hardships they had endured, and the comrades they had abandoned. The city at that time boasted of the presence of many high dames celebrated for their beauty. Eleanor, however, eclipsed them all; and she appears to have evinced so strong a desire for admiration, and carried her flirtation so far beyond the bounds of propriety, that Louis became jealous, and bore her off to Jerusalem.
On reaching the Holy City, whither Conrad had-already repaired in the guise of a pilgrim, Louis was welcomed with enthusiasm. Princes, prelates, and people sallied forth from the gates to meet him; and his arrival was hailed with loud shouts of " Blessed is he that comcth in the name of the Lord."
Baldwin the Third was naturally anxious to make the most of the presence of a King and an Emperor; and, anxious with their assistance to undertake some great enterprise, the young Sovereign convoked an assembly at Acre to deliberate on the affairs of his kingdom. Louis and Conrad repaired thither; and the assembly resolved on besieging Damascus. Accord-ingly, in June, 1149, a Christian army, commanded by the Emperor of Germany and the Kings of France and Jerusalem, and preceded by the Patriarch bearing the cross, marched to Damascus, and took possession of the gardens and orchards outside the city.
The siege was forthwith commenced, and the crusaders entertained high hopes of success. At first, indeed, they carried all before them, and displayed a degree of valor which would have done honor to the earlier pilgrim princes; but no sooner did triumph seem almost certain, than they began to dispute as to the person on whom the besieged city was to be bestowed when won, and discord soon pervaded the camp. The King and the Emperor proposed to give Damascus to Thierry, Count of Flanders; while the Syrian barons deemed that the prize should fall to one of their number.
The discord in the camp of the besiegers was not unknown to the commander of the besieged. This -man, Ayoub, the founder of a famous dynasty, took advantage of the discord in the enemy's camp; and addressed threats and promises to the Syrian barons with so much effect, that the crusaders, under their influence, hesitated, changed their point of attack, and ultimately abandoned their enterprise in despair.
After this unfortunate expedition, the idea of besieging Ascalon was suggested to the crusaders; but neither Louis nor Conrad gave encouragement to the project. Both were, in fact, anxious to leave the East; and the King of France, embarking at Acre, reached his capital in the autumn, with a mere fragment of his brilliant army. From that time, Louis appeared more like a monk than a monarch; and Eleanor, indignant at the weakness he displayed, had her marriage dissolved on the plea of relationship, and separating herself from the husband of her youth, carried with her as her dowry the magnificent province of Aquitaine.
Louis was not sorry to get rid of Eleanor. He affected to suspect that, at Antioch, she had shown a criminal regard for a young Turk, named Saladin; and had credulity enough to believe that a woman who lay under such a suspicion would, even though heiress of Aquitaine, be scorned by any Christian prince. Scarcely, however, had Eleanor, after leaving Paris, arrived at Blois, when the Count of that province attempted to wed her by force; but, favored by fortune, she escaped down the Seine. At Tours, the Count of Anjou, with matrimonial intent, lay in wait to intercept her; but, warned in time, the divorced Queen avoided the ambush. At Poictiers, however, she found a wooer to her liking. At that place, Henry Plantagenet presented himself, and he, being accomplished and handsome, was treated with favor. It is true that Henry was Eleanor's junior by a few years; but she, overlooking the objection of age, submitted a second time to the conjugal yoke, and at once bestowed her hand and the duchy of Aquitaine on the ambitious heir to the English crown.
Such was the expedition known as "The Second Crusade," preached by St. Bernard, and led by Conrad and Louis. "The French proverb," says Fuller, "was verified of this voyage -- 'Much bruit and little fruit.'"
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From John G. Edgar
The Crusades and the Crusaders, 1860
