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.
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.
Losses: Crusader, unknown of more than 30,000; Muslim, unknown of 10,000.