Military support = In the first Crusade, they had been provided with a Byzantine general Tacticus, who knew the areas very well
Supplies = Manuel was able to open markets and supply ships and ports throughout Asia Minor
Byzantine loyalty = Manuel had signed a treaty with the Turks at Konya, meaning if there was a poor relationship the crusader's location could be vunerable
Conrad's relationship with Manuel I
Strong alliance as they both formed an alliance against the southern italian normans
Came under strains when Conrad's forces journeyed through Hungary to Constantinople
Conrad's forces were being watched by Byzantine army, and there were several violent incidents - Frederick of Swabia tried to burn down a monastry
Conrad was made to swear an oath to no act against Manuel's wishes
Louis VII's relationship with Manuel I
Somewhat more strained due to his ties with Roger of Sicily, who had Norman origins
Louis' inital plan was to crusade with Roger of Sicily
When he tried to build bridges with Manuel in Autumn of 1146, Manuel wanted an oath of homage - highlights his distrust of the French
Mistrust was furthered when Roger's general, George of Antioch began to attack parts of the Byzantine Empure in Autumn of 1147
When Louis arrived in October 1147, he was made to swear an oath of homage and not to take any Byzantine lands
The Antioch Plan in 1148
The plan was to help the Antiochene military capture Aleppo and Shaizar
Realistic as it had almost been captured in 1138 with the help of Byzantines
Louis rejected the plan as his only interest was to reach Jerusalem
Raymond tried to use his wife as a pawn, creating an even bigger rift between the 2 leaders
The Jerusalem Plan June 1148
French Barons, German dukes and nobles of Jerusalem met at the council of Acre to discuss the objective of the second Crusade
It included a: Northern campaign to Edessa; Southern campaign to capture Ascalon or Eastern campaign to take Damascus
Why was the Damascus plan selected?
No point in Northern campaign since Edessa was already destroyed and Raymond had withdrawn his support
Ascalon was no immediate threat and had castles surrounding it
Truce between Damascus and Jerusalem had come to an end due to Nur ad-Din's ruse to power in Aleppo
The siege of Damascus July 1148
The siege started well, with Baldwin III's, Louis and Conrad's troops establishing a camp outside the city with a supply of food and water
July 27th 1148, they outlined the Eastern section of the walls
Bad decision as no food or water supply, meaning they got exhausted and retreated after 3 days
End of the Second Crusade
Conrad realised the 2nd Crusade was over and began his departure on October 8th
Louis stayed in Jerusalem until April 1149, where he departed with Roger of Sicily and was attacked by the Byzantines
Raymond of Antioch was killed at the Battle of Inab in June 1149
Baldwin III sold the castles in Edessa and the county was abandoned for good
Louis VII
Very sizable kingdom due to his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine
Wanted to fulfil his brother's vow of going on a crusade as well as an act of penance for burning a church at Vitry
He was committed during Bernard of Clairvaux's sermon at Easter 1146 and set his departure date for June 15th 1147
Conrad III
Had an army of 30-35 thousand
His enemies, such as Duke Welf VI of Bavaria were forced under his command when he made his crusader vow at Speyer on December 18th 1146
He set his departure date for May 1147, giving himself 6 months to prepare
The Journey to Constantinople
Conrad's journey went through Hungary in order to reach the Byzatines, going by with caution after recently being defeated by King Geisa II of Hungary - his only option due to poor relations with Roger of Sicily
Louis rejected Roger of Sicily's offer to transport the french contingent - one to not antagonise Conrad and to limit Roger's ambition to control Sicily (Under control of Eleanor's uncle)