Chapter VII: Book VI: A.d. 1142-1148

SECOND CRUSADE.

Europe aroused to a second crusade by the impending
dangers of Jerusalem and the Holy Land—The Abbot St.
Bernard—Louis VII. of France—He destroys Vitri, repents,
and determines on a crusade against the infidels—Pope
Eugenius III. invokes the assistance of the faithful—Pons,
abbot of Vezelai—Preaching of St. Bernard—State of the
Germanic empire—Conrad III. invokes a general diet at
Spires, and engages in the crusade—Many distinguished
personages take the cross—Enthusiasm of the Germans—Conrad
and Louis VII. arrive at Constantinople—Hypocritical
policy of the emperor, and treachery of the Greeks—Alarm
created by an eclipse of the sun—The Crusaders defeated by
the Turks—The oriflamme—Fatal blunder of Geoffrey de
Rançon—Reported death of Louis VII.—Everard des Barres,
grand master of the Templars—Perfidious policy of the
Greeks—Sufferings of the Crusaders—Louis VII. arrives at
Antioch with a small portion of his army—Eleanor of
Guienne repudiated by her husband, Louis VII.—He proceeds
to the Holy Land—Conrad arrives at Jerusalem—Baldwin III.
urges on the war—The Crusaders besiege Damascus, and are
repulsed—Ayoub, the father of Saladin—The Sclaves—
Crusaders in Spain and Portugal—Suger, minister of France—
Unfortunate results of this crusade—The conquests of
Noureddin—The deaths of Raymond, Josselin, Suger, and
St. Bernard pp. 329-381.