Second Crusade, 1147-1149
One of the least successful crusades, despite being led by Conrad III of Germany and Louis VII of France. The German contingent was almost totally wiped out crossing Anatolia, while Louis VII decided to split his force after an encounter with the Turks. He and his cavalry sailed to Palestine, while his infantry were left to march on alone, and were wiped out before reaching the Holy Land. The remaining crusaders, still led by Conrad and Louis, joined Baldwin III of Jerusalem in an attack on Damascus which fell apart after arguments amongst the crusaders. The failure of the Second Crusade demonstrated the dangers of the land route across Anatolia which the First Crusade only just survived.
How to cite this article: Rickard, J. (24 March 2001), Second Crusade, 1147-1149, http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/wars_crusade2nd.html