Abstract
133 SUMMARY Having been dominated by the Crusaders approximately fifty years, on 24th December 1144, reconquest of Urfa by Turks produced a big schok upon the Crusaders in the East and in Europe. After the First Crusader state, which was born in the East during the First Crusade, collapsed also the possessions of Antakya and Kudüs Crusader states were threatened by Turks. Therefore, upon the call for urgent help of the Eastern Crusaders, on 1th December 1 145 Pope Eugenius III issued a bull addressing King Louis VII of France, his nobles and all the Christians living in France, and by explaining that the eastern church was in a great danger he called for a new Crusade to defend the Church of Kudus and to help the eastern Crusaders who were threatened by Turks; and promised remission of penance to thoso vowing to go on the Crusade. Even though the new Crusade was planned by Pope it was carried out due to the participation of King Louis and efforts of abbot Bernhard of Clairvaux. On the order of Pope, abbot Bernhard, who was one of the most powerful men in Europe, preached the Crusade on the meeting of Vezelay on 31th March 1 146, here Louis VII was the first one to take the cross. The Crusading sermons of St. Bernhard aroused a great excitement in Europe and in a very short time countless people from every class were enrolled in the Crusade. Also King Konrad HI of Germany took the cross owing to the endeavours of St. Bernard. Byzantin Emperor Manuel Komnenos, who was occupied in Anotolia during this time, saw this new Crusade as a danger for his state. Therefore he prefered to make an temporary cease-fire agreement with sul tan Mesud. Also Sultan Mesud, who had extented his power from Sivas to Ceyhan from Eskişehir to Taurus, had found necessary this aggreement for he felt restless because the news of the Crusade. After this, Sultan Mesud took measures against the Crusaders to protect his state and started to wait for them. First King Konrad HI and his army set out for the east. The German Crusading army, started off in the year may 1 146, came before Istanbul by the route Niş-Sofya-Filibe-Edirne (10th September, 1147). Emperor Manuel succeeded in transporting them to Asai Minor before the arrival of the French army. After crossing134 to Asia Minor the Germans, who suffered from famine in the Turkish soil, were assaulted and destroyed by the army of Sultan Mesud near Dorylaion on 26 October, 1147. Konrad, who was lost nine tenth of his army, run away to İznik with the remainders of his men. Meanwhile the French who had set out for the east a month later from the Germans, had come before Istanbul (4th October) and arrived at İznik on November. Konrad and Louis met in tznik and marched together by the way of the shore. When coming to Efes, King Konrad got back to Istanbul from this place over Emperor Manuel's invitation and after spent the winter he sailed to Filis tin with a Byzantine navy on the year March 1147. Meanwhile King Louis and his army had continued on their stubborn way, harrassed by Turks from the valley Decervion near Efes. While crossing the river Meander, the French fought with Turkish forces blocking the ford of the river (1th January 1 148) and three days later came to Denizli. The day after leaving Denizli at Mountain Kadmos, the French were defeated by Turks, and sustained terrible losses; also King Louis hardly escaped (7& January). After this catastrophe, along the route suffering from lack of food and harrassed by the Turkish arrows, the French finally arrived at Antalya (20& January). King Louis decided to go to Antakya by sea. But it was impossible to find enough ships to transport the entire army. Thus, King Louis with his nobles and bishops embarked for Antakya, leaving the people on food there. King Louis, arrived at An takya on 19* March, in spite of all the insistence of Prince Raymond of Antakya, refused to go to war against Haleb the capital of Nureddin Mahmud who was the most dangerous enemy of the Crusaders, and directly went to Kudüs in order to fulfil his crusading vow. When the Crusading kings arrived at Kudüs, a general court was hold at Akkâ on June 24. In the court it was decided to besiege the city of Dımaşk. But the Besieging of Dımaşk, lasting four days between July 24-28, ended with a complete failure. The ending with a big fiasco of the Second Crusade, which had started with a great hope, constituted.a turning point for the Crusaders in the East.
