The Siege of Damascus An illuminated vellum page from the History of Jerusalem by William of Tyre, depicting Conrad III (1137–52), the emperor of Germany, and Louis VII (1120–80), the king of France, besieging Damascus in 1148. © Art Images/Culture Club—Hulton Fine Art Collection/Getty Images, (more) Siege of Damascus Second Crusade [1148] Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Print Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Damascus-1148 Feedback External Websites Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites Ancient History Encyclopedia - The Siege of Damascus, 1148 CE Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by Rupert Matthews Rupert Matthews's work appears in Encyclopaedia Britannica as part of a joint publishing agreement with the publisher of 1001 Battles That Changed the Course of History, where the work originally... Rupert Matthews Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Dec 2, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot a Question Quick Facts Date: July 23, 1148 - July 28, 1148 (Show more) Location: Damascus Syria (Show more) Context: Crusades Second Crusade (Show more) Key People: Baldwin III Conrad III Louis VII (Show more) See all related content The defeat of the Second Crusade at Damascus on July 23–28, 1148, ensured that the Christian crusader states in the Holy Land would remain on the defensive for the foreseeable future. With no hope of expanding their territorial holdings after that loss, Christians in the region were confined to small states such as Antioch, surrounded by larger and more powerful Muslim enemies.

　　The Second Crusade started badly as the armies of Louis VII of France and Conrad III of Germany both suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Seljuq Turks on the arduous journey to Jerusalem. Joining with Baldwin III of Jerusalem, Louis and Conrad marched with some 30,000 men to attack the Syrian city of Damascus. Arriving on July 23, they moved to occupy the vast orchards and walled fields west of the city, suffering heavily at the hands of Damascene archers who fought a skillful retreat to the city walls. Having failed to assault Damascus from the west, the crusaders moved on July 27 to the open plains to the east of the city.

　　Crusades Events keyboard_arrow_left

　　Siege of Antioch October 20, 1097 - June 28, 1098

　　Battle of Harran May 7, 1104

　　Siege of Edessa November 28, 1144 - December 24, 1144

　　Battle of Lisbon July 1, 1147 - October 25, 1147

　　Siege of Damascus July 23, 1148 - July 28, 1148

　　Battle of Ḥaṭṭīn July 4, 1187

　　Battle of Jaffa August 5, 1192

　　Albigensian Crusade 1209 - 1229

　　Siege of Toulouse 1217 - 1218 keyboard_arrow_right A dispute broke out between the leaders of the crusade and the local Christian noblemen over how to pursue the siege and who should be ruler of Damascus once it was captured. This disagreement was interrupted by news that a large Muslim army under the skilled general Nūr al-Dīn had arrived at Homs. From there Nūr al-Dīn could either march south to relieve Damascus or strike directly at Antioch or Jerusalem. The local Christian lords melted away, many having been bribed to do so by the Muslim leaders, taking their men back to defend their own lands.

　　On July 28, Louis, Conrad, and Baldwin began their own retreat to Jerusalem, where they too fell out in mutual recriminations over who had been to blame for the failure at Damascus. The crusaders went home with nothing accomplished. As William of Tyre, the contemporary chronicler, recorded bitterly, “Thus a company of kings and princes such as we have not read of through all the ages had gathered and, for our sins, had been forced to return, covered with shame and disgrace, with their mission unfulfilled.” For his part, after the local emir had died, Nūr al-Dīn assumed control of Damascus, creating a unified Muslim Syria.