Each year the Ephors declared war on...
Cover image : Miniature that illustrates one of the battles of the Second Crusade led by Louis VII, who came to the aid of Baldwin III, King of Jerusalem, against the Saracens in the mid-12th century. — William of Tyre, History of Outremer, 14th century, Paris, BnF, Manuscripts Department, Français 22495 fol. 154v.
Text by Ilias Anagnostakis
Despite repeated recommendations from the Byzantine Emperor Manuel Komnenos to follow the coastal route via the Troad–Smyrna–Attaleia, which was far safer, and to send back to Germany “all the useless mouths” (meaning certain non-combatants accompanying the main German army), the German king Conrad III was adamant. This was during the early stages of the Second Crusade (1147–1149), when European rulers were marching east to recapture the fallen County of Edessa, and Conrad aimed for speed over security. After dividing his army into two parts — one (15,000 men, mostly pack animals and a large number of non-combatants) under Bishop Otto of Freising — he himself, with 20,000 men, moved rapidly via Nicaea–Dorylaeum–the valley of the Thymbris River–Philomelion, aiming to reach Iconium, seize it if necessary, and then advance into Cilicia, and from there into Syria.
The route chosen by Conrad was considerably shorter, but arid (the so-called Salt Desert, crossed again by the Greek Army in 1921) and, as was tragically proven, teeming with Turkomans.
The march proceeded smoothly up to Dorylaeum, still within Greek territory at that point. “We… hastened to set out for Iconium under the guidance of men who knew the road. … Ten days of the journey were accomplished and the same amount remained to be traversed; food for the whole host had almost given out, but especially for the horses. At the same time the Turks did not cease to attack and slaughter the crowd of foot-soldiers who were unable to follow the army. … By the advice of our princes and barons, we led the army back from that desert land to the sea…”.
But a day after passing Dorylaeum, on 25/26 October, the Germans came under terrible attacks in alternating waves, both from the regular Seljuk army and from masses of Turkomans under the cunning Emir Balak — unsurprising, since in the valleys of the Thymbris and Bathys rivers beyond Dorylaeum, with lush meadows and abundant water, lay the largest concentration of Turkomans in western Asia Minor (Roche, 2006, pp 85–98).
by Boyd, James P. (James Penny)
Three days of continuous clashes, during which the German army repeatedly fell into ambushes, severely shook their morale. They were already facing problems of supply -especially water- and had suffered terrible losses, including many infantry and the Saxon noble Bernard of Plotzkau. Eventually, the barons persuaded Conrad to return to Nicaea “before we are completely destroyed.”
On 26 October, there was also a partial solar eclipse, which further crushed German morale.
The Germans retreated for three days under fire from all sides by the Turks, suffering heavy losses. After 28 October, the retreat turned into a rout, as the ever-present Turkomans “struck like demons,” even within Greek territory — since the frontier in the Dorylaeum area had always been problematic throughout the 12th century.
Conrad himself fought superbly, but was struck by two arrows ; “Conrad himself was twice wounded by the arrows of the Turks; … it is averred that this army … was reduced to 7,000. … Conrad at once resolved to fall back, with the poor remains of his army, upon his allies.” Now wounded, reached Nicaea on 1 November 1147 with the remnants of his army. The very same day that 25,000 Frenchmen under King Louis VII arrived in the city, a month behind him.
Losses in Conrad’s force exceeded 10,000 men, mostly infantry, although the main body of Germans — especially Conrad’s 2,000 elite knights — remained intact. Many infantry were taken prisoner and sold into slave markets, though some were ransomed and freed with help from the Armenians of Cilicia.
A huge amount of equipment was lost, along with nearly all the pack animals and the army’s treasury, to the extent that: “The Turks grew so rich, for they had taken gold and silver like grains of sand” (Tritton & Gibb 1933, pp 298).
The other German contingent — 15,000 men under Bishop Otto of Freising — followed the coastal route in relative peace. But when they turned inland near Laodicea and passed it, entering Turkish territory, they came under a massive attack by 20-40,000 Turkomans and were virtually annihilated. Few made it through, reaching Attaleia in wretched condition.
Those from Otto’s contingent who survived but could not reach Attaleia because of the overwhelming number of Turkomans returned in miserable condition to Laodicea. There they awaited further orders under the bishop’s command. They likely numbered no more than 3,000.
The French, after supplying Conrad’s 8,000 remaining men with food and money, decided to march together toward Attaleia via the coastal road. “Our march was delayed by the lack of water. Many fell behind, especially among the foot-soldiers, who could neither sustain the burden nor keep pace with the mounted knights.” (..)“When we received news of Conrad’s wounds and the collapse of his army, the barons urged our king to retreat to safety rather than face the fate that had befallen the Germans.”
The wounded German king agreed, though apparently with a heavy heart. About 1,000 of his men had already left, wishing to return to Germany, while several hundred enlisted in the Imperial army. Manuel Komnenos paid very good wages and offered a secure future.
The combined Franco-German army (25,000 French and 5,000 Germans) departed from Lopadion in Bithynia on 8 November 1147. Nevertheless, their sheer numbers caused a sharp rise in food prices. So much so that the destitute Germans were selling their equipment and swords for a little bread, onions, and pork.
The two kings continued to Philadelphia, where it became obvious that the Germans were now in desperate condition. Realizing that he could no longer achieve his aims and would at best become dependent on his French counterpart, Conrad abandoned the army on 15 November and returned to Constantinople, though some of his men remained with the French.
The German part of the Second Crusade was now over — though among the German ruler’s retinue was a vigorous young red-haired noble who had fought excellently at Dorylaeum : the 25-year-old Duke of Swabia, Frederick, later Emperor Frederick “Barbarossa” (1152–1190), who had seen and experienced things that would prove useful when he returned to campaign in the same lands forty-three (!) years later, in 1190, during the Third Crusade.
Sources:
Odo of Deuil, ”The Journey of Louis VII to the East”, 12th century.
Otto I, Bishop of Freising, ”Ottonis et Rahewini gesta Friderici I. imperatoris”,1158.
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