Crusading around 1150 - a "worldwide" coordinated effort

When thinking about crusading in the 12th century, one is usually inclined to consider first the Levant, and perhaps in second place present day Spain and Portugal. However, at the middle of the 12th century there were many more military theatres as well as coordinated efforts to achieve success in several places at the same time. An overview.

By 1150, crusading had evolved into a highly international endeavor, spanning multiple theaters.

After Jerusalem's fall in 1099, the eastern theater remained a critical military focus for the West. The newly established Latin territories of Edessa, Antioch, and Jerusalem faced continuous threats from both Muslims and Greeks. These fledgling kingdoms required ongoing support from the West. So the twelfth century saw a recurring pattern of crises in the East, embassies to the West, and papal interventions.

Simultaneously, Spain emerged as a significant crusading theater. Following the First Crusade's successes, international attention turned to dismantling Muslim strongholds in the southern Iberian Peninsula. This new offensive led to a series of successful campaigns (1110, 1114, 1116, 1118, 1125-6), involving veterans of the First Crusade and warriors from as far afield as Norway.

Another crucial theater of crusading was North Africa, a hub of Muslim power influencing Spain, Sicily, and parts of southern Italy. Germany also became a crusading front in the 1140s: German crusaders, mainly Saxons, sought papal approval for a campaign against the pagan Wends east of the Elbe.

In April 1147, Pope Eugenius II (1145-53) issued an encyclical outlining a unified crusading strategy that encompassed all these theaters. Divina dispensatione is the name for two papal bulls issued by Pope Eugene III. The first was issued on 5 October 1146 to the clergy of Italy, urging Italians to join the Second Crusade. The second was issued on 11 April 1147 at Troyes and called for the Wendish Crusade against the pagan Slavs. In his bull Quantum Praedecessores, also dated April 1147, the Pope calls for a new crusade to the Holy Land in response to the fall of the County of Edessa to the Muslims in 1144. The bull emphasizes the duty of Christian rulers and knights to take up arms and defend the Christian territories in the East. It appeals to the same fervor and spirit of the First Crusade, urging the faithful to embark on a holy war to reclaim lost Christian lands. This bull is crucial as it marks the official papal endorsement and call to arms for what would become the Second Crusade. The primary target regions specified are the Holy Land, particularly the County of Edessa.

Summarizing, the following crusading movements were promoted:

  • Five armies converged on the East, including forces led by Louis de France, Conrad of Germany, Amadeus of Savoy, Alfonso Jordain de Toulouse, and an Anglo-Flemish contingent. Their mission was to recapture Edessa, which had fallen to Zengi on Christmas Eve 1144, marking the second crusade to the East.
  • Four campaigns emerged in Spain, drawing forces from Spain, the Low Countries, the Rhineland, northern France, Britain, and Italy.
  • In North Africa, a Sicilian-Norman fleet extended Roger of Sicily’s control along the coast from Tripoli to Tunis. Roger II ("the Great", 1095-1154) was King of Sicily and Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, became Duke of Apulia and Calabria in 1127, then King of Sicily in 1130 and King of Africa in 1148.
  • German crusaders also received authorization to launch a crusade against the Wends. 
Despite occurring in diverse regions, contemporaries viewed all these expeditions as components of a single grand enterprise.

This blog is mainly based on sections of Battles, Dominique, 2004, The Medieval Tradition of Thebes - History and Narrative in the Roman de Thebes, Boccaccio, Chaucer, and Lydgate, (Routledge). Aditional quotes were derived from Wikipedia 1 and 2. The illustration shows The "Kingdom of Africa" (Regno d'Africa) pinpointed in red (by Nuovopitagorico - Own work, source CC BY-SA 3.0). Fair Use intended.

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