Late spring – An expedition of Crusaders, Englishmen together with forces from
Flanders,
Frisia,
Scotland and some German polities, leaves from
Dartmouth in
England for the
Holy Land. Leadership is provided by
Hervey de Glanvill, a Norman nobleman and constable of
Suffolk, who leads a fleet of some 200 ships. Bad weather forces them to take refuge at the mouth of the
Douro River, on the Portuguese coast, on
June 16.
June – A French expeditionary force (some 18,000 men) led by King
Louis VII departs from
Metz and travels through
Bavaria. Louis is accompanied by the French nobility and his wife, Queen
Eleanor of Aquitaine, heiress of
France. At Regensburg, where the force arrives on
June 29, the Crusaders journey peaceably for fifteen days through Hungary and reach the Byzantine frontier at the end of August.[2]
September 7 – The German crusaders suffer a natural disaster near
Constantinople, when part of their encampment is swept away by a flash flood with considerable loss of life. Emperor
Manuel I Komnenos orders the Crusaders to cross to
Asia Minor by the
Hellespont. Conrad III ignores the advice of Manuel and after some minor clashes with the Byzantines, pushes towards Constantinople.[6]
September 10 – The German crusaders under Conrad III reach Constantinople, where there is a frosty exchange of letters between Conrad and Manuel I. The German forces make camp at
Galata on the northern shore of the
Golden Horn. Manuel orders that a full-scale effort must be made to transport the Germans, who are causing troubles by sacking the
Philopatium, across the
Bosporus.[7]
Autumn – Conrad III decides not to wait for the French and crosses the Bosporus into Asia Minor. He leads the German crusader army to
Nicomedia, and divides his forces into two divisions. Conrad takes the knights and his professional soldiers across Seljuk central territory while the
baggage train, pilgrims and a defending force under Bishop
Otto of Freising travel along the
Aegean coast.[8]
October 4–
5 – Louis VII arrives at Constantinople and joins with forces from
Savoy under
Amadeus III (his uncle) – who have taken the land route through
Italy. Louis crosses the Bosporus, and leads the French crusader army into Asia Minor – where he hears in
Nicaea of Conrad's defeat at the end of October. Louis sends a military escort for Conrad and agrees to rendezvous at
Lopardium.[9] The German crusaders under Otto of Freising follow the coastal road before turning inland, up the
Gediz River valley to
Philadelphia. Otto's force is ambushed by the Seljuk Turks, just outside
Laodicea, losing many men killed or taken prisoner. Otto and the survivors struggle on to
Adalia, from where they sail for the Holy Land. Others attempt to continue along the southern coast of
Anatolia.[8]
October 25 –
Battle of Dorylaeum: The German crusaders under Conrad III are defeated by the Seljuk Turks led by Sultan
Mesud I. Conrad is forced to turn back and is wounded by arrows during the retreat to Nicaea. In Seljuk territory the Crusaders are harassed all the way and demoralised by the intensified attacks. Many of the weakest people fall behind and are captured by the Muslims.[10]
November – The combined forces of Louis VII and Conrad III meet at Lopardium and march along the coastal road via
Pergamon and
Smyrna to
Ephesus, where they celebrate
Christmas. Conrad, still suffering from his wounds, sails back to Constantinople to be placed under the care of Manuel's own physicians. Meanwhile, the Crusader camp is attacked by Turkish raiders near Ephesus.[11]
December 24 –
Battle of Ephesus: The French crusaders under Louis VII leave Ephesus, and ascend the
Meander Valley. Louis is warned by messengers of Manuel that Seljuk and
Danishmendid forces are assembling west of Adalia. Louis ignores the advice and successfully fends off an ambush just outside Ephesus.[12]
Europe
April 13 – Pope
Eugene III issues a bull (known as the Divina dispensatione), permitting Conrad III to attack the
Polabian Slavs (or
Wends) under the spiritual guidance of Bishop
Anselm of Havelberg. The Crusaders are allowed to wear sacred crosses, and
Bernard of Clairvaux instructs the Germans how to treat the Slavs under their control. "With God's help", says the abbot, "they shall be either converted or slaughtered".[13]
A Sicilian fleet (some 70 ships) under
George of Antioch attacks
Corfu, the island surrenders and welcomes the Normans as their liberators. Leaving a garrison of 1,000 men, George sails to the
Peloponnesus. He pillages the cities of
Corinth,
Athens and
Thebes. King
Roger II begins an 11-year war between
Sicily and the
Byzantine Empire.
May–June –
Nur al-Din, Seljuk ruler (atabeg) of
Aleppo, signs a peace treaty with
Mu'in al-Din Unur. As part of the agreement, he marries Mu'in al-Din's daughter
Ismat al-Din Khatun. Together Mu'in al-Din and Nur al-Din besiege the fortresses of
Bosra and
Salkhad, which has been captured by rebellious Muslim forces.[16]
Battle of Bosra: A Crusader force under King
Baldwin III fights an inconclusive battle against Seljuk forces from
Damascus led by Mu'in al-Din aided by Nur al-Din's contingents from Aleppo and
Mosul. Baldwin retreats to
Jerusalem, while the Seljuk Turks attack his rearguard and stragglers underway back to
Palestine.[17]
Spring – Eugene III leaves
Viterbo and travels to France. At the start of April he meets Louis VII at
Dijon. It is agreed that Abbot
Suger, Louis' adviser, governs France while Louis is away.
^Steven Runciman (1952). A History of The Crusades. Vol II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem, pp. 213–214.
ISBN978-0-241-29876-3.
^King John by Warren. Published by University of California Press in 1961. p. 67.
^Steven Runciman (1952). A History of The Crusades. Vol II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem, p. 210.
ISBN978-0-241-29876-3.
^Picard, Christophe (2000). Le Portugal musulman (VIIIe-XIIIe siècle). L'Occident d'al-Andalus sous domination islamique. Paris: Maisonneuve & Larose. p. 109.
ISBN2-7068-1398-9.
^Steven Runciman (1952). A History of The Crusades. Vol II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem, p. 217.
ISBN978-0-241-29876-3.
^
abDavid Nicolle (2009). The Second Crusade 1148: Disaster outside Damascus, p. 46.
ISBN978-1-84603-354-4.
^David Nicolle (2009). The Second Crusade 1148: Disaster outside Damascus, p. 37.
ISBN978-1-84603-354-4.
^Steven Runciman (1952). A History of The Crusades. Vol II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem, p. 220.
ISBN978-0-241-29876-3.
^David Nicolle (2009). The Second Crusade 1148: Disaster outside Damascus, p. 50.
ISBN978-1-84603-354-4.
^Christopher Tyerman (2006). God's War: A New History of the Crusades, p. 326. Penguin Books.
^Christiansen, Eric (1997). The Northern Crusades, p. 53. Penguin Books.
ISBN978-0-14-026653-5.
^Barraclough, Geoffrey (1984). The Origins of Modern Germany, p. 263. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
ISBN0-393-30153-2.
^Rogers, Clifford J. (2010). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology: Vol. 1, p. 36. Oxford University Press.
ISBN978-0195334036.
^David Nicolle (2009). The Second Crusade 1148: Disaster outside Damascus, p. 39.
ISBN978-1-84603-354-4.
^Steven Runciman (1952). A History of The Crusades. Vol II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem, pp. 195–196.
ISBN978-0-241-29876-3.