Second Crusade – From Edessa to Damascus (1147–1149) | Crusades Ep. 4

Second Crusade – From Edessa to Damascus (1147–1149) | Crusades Ep. 4

The Second Crusade was meant to reclaim lost glory — but it became a story of arrogance, betrayal, and disaster. When Edessa fell in 1144, Europe trembled. Kings took the cross, queens led armies, and priests promised divine victory. Yet, from Lisbon to Damascus, the holy war spiraled into chaos. Swords and Shadows unveils the full tale of ambition and ruin, tracing how faith that once conquered Jerusalem now shattered against the walls of Syria.

Follow King Louis VII of France, Conrad III of Germany, and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine as they march through Anatolia’s deserts, only to meet ambush and starvation. Witness the fall of Edessa under Zengi, the fiery sermons of Bernard of Clairvaux, and the doomed Siege of Damascus that ended the Crusaders’ pride. This Second Crusade documentary captures how royal dreams turned to nightmares, reshaping Europe and the Holy Land for generations.

From victories in Lisbon and Tortosa to the humiliation in the East, this was a crusade that changed everything. It tore apart marriages, kingdoms, and alliances — setting the stage for the rise of Nur ad-Din and Saladin, and the firestorm of the Third Crusade. Watch how one failed war sowed the seeds of centuries of conflict between Cross and Crescent. Subscribe to Swords and Shadows for more history documentaries revealing the epic struggles that forged our world.
⚔️ About the Series:
The Crusades documentary series explores the dramatic clashes between Christian and Muslim powers — from the call of the First Crusade to the fall of Acre in 1291.

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