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Medieval Sourcebook:
Odo of Deuil:
The Crusade of Louis VII
1. St. Bernard Preaches at Vezelay
[Adapted from Brundage] Following the call of Pope Eugnius
IV for a crusade, at Christmas time 1145, the French king, Louis
VII, revealed to his courtiers his designs to go to the aid of
the Latins in the East. The King met, however, with considerable
opposition from his advisors, who believed that the welfare of
the kingdom required that the King remain at home. It was agreed,
therefore, to defer any action on the project until the following
Easter. In the meantime, the King sought the advice of the powerful
and renowned Bernard of Clairvaux, who agreed to preach on behalf
of the Crusade to the King's court during Easter time at Vezelay:
In the year of the Incarnation of the Word one thousand one hundred
forty-six, Louis, the glorious king of the Franks and duke of Aquitaine, the son of King Louis, came to Vezelay at Easter
so that he might be worthy of Christ by bearing his cross after him. Louis was twenty-five years old.
When the same pious King held his court at Bourges on the preceding
Christmas, he had first revealed the secret in his heart to the
bishops and barons of the kingdom, whom he had purposefully summoned
for his coronation in greater numbers than usual. The devout Bishop
of Langres, had at that time preached in his capacity as a bishop
about the slaughter and oppression of the Christians and the great
insolence of the pagans in Rohais, known in antiquity as Edessa.
He had roused many to tears by this lamentable tale and he had
admonished them all that they should fight together with their
king for the King of all in order to help the Christians. Zeal
for the faith burned and glowed in King Louis. He held luxury
and temporal glory in contempt and set an example which was better
than any sermon. The King, however, could not immediately harvest
by his example what the Bishop had sown by his words. Another
day was appointed, therefore, namely Easter at Vezelay, when all
were to assemble on Passion Sunday. Those who had received the
heavenly inspiration were to take on the glory of the cross on
the feast of the Resurrection.
The King, meanwhile, continued to press the undertaking and sent
emissaries on this matter to Pope Eugene at Rome. They were joyfully
received and were sent back with gladness: they brought back a
letter sweeter than any honeycomb. The letter enjoined the King
to be obedient and prescribed moderation in weapons and clothing.
It also contained a promise of the remission of sins for those
who took the sweet yoke of Christ as well as a promise of protection
for their wives and children and instructions on certain other
matters which seemed useful to the holy wisdom and prudence of
the Supreme Pontiff. The Pope hoped that he could be present in
person so as to be the first to lay his hands on such a holy enterprise,
but he could not, since he was hindered by the tyranny of the
Romans." He therefore delegated this task to Bernard, the
holy Abbot of Clairvaux.
At last the day which the King hoped for arrived. The Abbot, armed
with the apostolic authority and with his own sanctity was there
at the time and place appointed, together with the very great
multitude which had been summoned. Then the King received the
insignia of the cross which the Supreme Pontiff had sent to him
and so also did many of his nobles. Since there was no place in
the fortress which could hold such a multitude, a wooden platform
was built for the Abbot in a field outside of Vezelay, so that
he could speak from a high place to the audience standing around
him. Bernard mounted the platform together with the King, who
wore the cross. When the heavenly instrument had, according to
his custom, poured out the dew of the Divine Word, the people
on all sides began to clamor and to demand crosses. When he had
sowed, rather than passed out, the parcel of crosses which had
been prepared, he was forced to tear his clothing into crosses
and to sow them too. He labored at this task as long as he was
in the town. I shall not attempt to write about the miracles which
occurred there at that time and by which it appeared that the
Lord was pleased, since if I write about a few of them, it will
not be believed that there were more, while if I write about many
of them, it may seem that I am overlooking my subject. Finally
it was decided that they would start out in a year and everyone
returned home rejoicing.
The Abbot indeed covered his robust spirit with a frail and almost
moribund body. He flew everywhere to preach and in a short time
the number of those who wore the cross had multiplied many fold.
The King took an almost childlike joy in spreading the faith and
sent ambassadors to King Roger in Apulia concerning the large
army which he hoped to raise. Roger wrote back willingly on all
these matters. He also sent back noblemen who pledged his Kingdom
as security for the food, shipping, and all other necessities.
They further promised that either Roger or his son would go along
on the journey. Louis sent other messengers to the Emperor at
Constantinople - I do not know his name, for it is not written
in the book of life. The Emperor replied with a long and wordy
scroll filled with flattery and in which he called our King his
holy friend and brother and promised many things which he did
not in fact carry out. But these things belong else where! Louis
also asked the Hungarian and German kings for market rights and
the right of passage and he received letters and messengers from
them granting what be desired. Many of the dukes and counts of
those areas were inspired by his example and wrote asking to take
part in his expedition. Thus everything went along favorably.
Meanwhile the news flew. It crossed over to England and reached
the remote parts of the other islands. The people of the maritime
areas prepared ships so as to accompany the King by sea.
The first groups to depart on the Second Crusade were companies
of Anglo-Norman and Flemish sailors and troops who sailed from
Dartmouth on May 19, 1147, bound for Spain to take part in the
Spanish phase of the Crusade. The principal objective of these
Crusaders was the conquest of a number of strong positions on
the western coast of the Iberian peninsula, among them the important
city of Lisbon, in what is now Portugal.' Affonso I of Portugal
with his army was already in the field there when the Anglo-Norman
contingents landed on the beaches close by, late in June, 1147.
Source:
Odo of Deuil, La Croisade de Louis VII, roi de France,
I, ed. Henri Waquet, Documents relatifs à l;histoire
des croisades, Vol 3 (Paris: Paul Guethner, 1949), 20-23,
translated by James Brundage, The Crusades: A Documentary History,
(Milwaukee, WI: Marquette University Press, 1962)
Copyright note: Professor Brundage informed the Medieval
Sourcebook that copyright was not renewed on this work. Moreover
he gave permission for use of his translations.
2. The French Army in Central Europe
[Adapted from Brundage] A German army under Conrad II set
out through Hungary, but met a disastrous end at the hand sof
the Slejuqs in Anatolia. While the Germans were marching heedlessly
toward defeat, the French army, led by King Louis VII, was following
in their tracks, about a month behind. The story of their journey
is related by the French King's chaplain, Odo of Deuil:
In what we have written the description of outstanding actions
is given as a good example; the names of the cities are given
to show the route of the journey; the description of the character
of the localities is given as a guide to show what types of provisions
are needed. Since there will always be pilgrims to the Holy Sepulcher,
it is hoped that they will be more cautious in view of our experiences.
The rich cities of Metz, Worms, Wiirzburg, Ratisbon, and Passau,
then, lie a three-day journey from one another. From the last
named city it is a five-day journey to Wiener-Neustadt and from
there it takes one day to reach the Hungarian border. The country
in between these towns is forested and provisions must be brought
from the towns, since the countryside cannot provide enough for
an army. There are plenty of rivers there and also springs and
meadows. When I passed through that area the mountains seemed
rugged to me. Now, however, compared to Romania [i.e. Anatolia],
I would call it a plain. This side of Hungary is bordered by muddy
water. On the other side it is separated from Bulgaria by a clear
stream. The Drave River is in the middle of Hungary. One bank
of the river is steep and the other has a gentle slope, so that
it is shaped like a ball. The result of this is that when even
a little rain falls and is added to the water of the nearby swamps,
even rather distant places are flooded. We heard that many of
the Germans who preceded us were suddenly flooded out there. When
we came to the place where their camp had been, we could scarcely
ford it. We had only a few small boats and it was therefore necessary
to make the horses swim. They found it easy to get in but hard
to get out; however, with some work and God's protection they
came across without losses.
All the rest of this country is covered with lakes, swamps, and
springs-if springs can be made by travellers, even in the summer,
by scraping the earth a little bit-except for the Danube, which
follows a straight enough course and carries the wealth of many
areas by ship to the noble city of Gran. This country is such
a great food-producing area that Julius Caesar's commissariat
is said to have been located there. The marketing and exchange
facilities there were sufficient for our needs. We crossed Hungary
in fifteen days.
From there, at the entrance to Bulgaria, the fortress called the
Bulgarian Belgrade presented itself; it is so called to distinguish
it from the Hungarian town of the same name. One day from Belgrade,
with a river between them, lies the poor little town of Branicevo.
Beyond these towns the country is, so to speak, forested meadow
or crop-producing woods. It is bountiful in good things which
grow by themselves and it would be good for other things if it
had any farmers. It is not flat, nor is it rugged with mountains;
rather it is watered by streams and very clear springs which flow
between the hills, vines, and usable fields. It lacks any rivers,
and between there and Constantinople we had no use for our boats.
Five days from this place lies Nish, which, though small, is the
first city of this section of Greece. The cities of Nish, Sofia,
Philippopolis, and Adrianople are four days apart from each other
and from the last of these it is five days to Constantinople.
The countryside in between is flat. It is full of villages and
forts and abounds in all kinds of good things. On the right and
left there are mountains close enough to be seen. These are so
long that they enclose a wide, rich, and pleasant plain. . . .
Thus far we had been at play, for we had neither suffered any
damages from men's malice nor had we feared any dangers from the
plots of cunning men. From the time when we entered Bulgaria and
the land of the Greeks, however, both the strength and morale
of the army were put to the test. In the impoverished town of
Branicevo, as we were about to enter an uninhabited area, we loaded
up with supplies, most of which came via the Danube from Hungary.
There was such a number of boats there, brought by the Germans,
that the populace's supplies of firewood and timber for building
were assured for a long time. Our men took the smaller boats across
the river and bought supplies from a certain Hungarian fortress
which was not far away. Here we first encountered the stamina, a copper coin. We unhappily gave -or rather, lost-five denarii for one of them and a mark for twelve solidi. Thus the Greeks
were tainted with perjury at the very entrance to their country.
You may remember that, as has been said, their representatives
had sworn, on the Emperor's behalf, that they would furnish us
with a proper market and exchange. We crossed the rest of this
desolate country and entered a most beautiful and wealthy land
which stretches without interruption to Constantinople. Here we
first began to receive injuries and to take notice of them. The
other areas had sold us supplies properly and had found us peaceful.
The Greeks, however, shut up their cities and fortresses and sent
their merchandise down to us on ropes suspended from the walls.
The supplies purveyed in this manner, however, were insufficient
for our multitude. The pilgrims, therefore, secured the necessary
supplies by plundering and looting, since they could not bear
to suffer want in the midst of plenty.
It seemed to some that the Germans who had preceded us were at
fault in this respect, since they had looted everything and we
discovered that they had burned several settlements outside the
walls of towns. The story must be told, although reluctantly.
Outside of the walls of Philippopolis was a noble town inhabited
by Latin peoples who sold a great many supplies to travellers
for profit. When the Germans settled down in the taverns there,
a joker was present, as bad luck would have it. Although he did
not know their language, he sat down, made a sign, and got a drink.
After guzzling for a long time, he took a charmed snake out of
his pocket and placed it in his schooner, which he had deposited
on the ground. He went on to play other joker's tricks among people
of whose language and customs he was ignorant. The Germans rose
up in horror, as if they had seen a monster, seized the entertainer,
and tore him to pieces. They blamed everyone for the misdeeds
of one man and declared that the Greeks had tried to murder them
with poison. The town was aroused by the tumult in the suburb
and the Duke came out beyond the walls with a group of his men
to settle the disturbance. The Germans, whose eyes were bleary
with wine and anger, saw, not unarmed men, but a posse. The angry
Germans, therefore, rushed upon the men who had come to preserve
peace in the belief that they were going to take revenge for the
murder. The Germans snatched up their bows-for these are their
weapons-and went out once more to turn to flight those from whom
they had fled. They killed and wounded the Greeks and when all
the Greeks had been expelled from the suburb, the Germans stopped.
Many of the Germans were killed there, especially those who had
gone into the inns, for, in order to get their money, the Greeks
threw them into caves. When the Germans had plucked up their spirits
and had taken up their weapons again, they returned and, in order
to redress their shame and the slaughter of their men, they burned
nearly everything outside of the walls.
The Germans were also unbearable to us. On one occasion some of
our men wished to get away from the crowding of the multitude
around the King. They therefore went on ahead and stayed near
the Germans. Both they and the Germans went to market, but the
Germans would not allow the Franks to buy anything until they
got enough for themselves. From this arose a brawl, or rather
a squabble, for when one man denounces another whom he does not
understand in a loud voice, that is a squabble. The Franks struck
them and the Germans struck back. The Franks then returned from
the market with their supplies. The Germans, who were numerous,
were scornful of the pride of a few Franks and took up arms against
them. The Germans attacked them fiercely and the Franks, who were
armed in a similar fashion, resisted spiritedly. God put an end
to this wickedness, for night soon fell....
Thus, as the Germans went forward they disturbed everything and
for this reason the Greeks fled from our peaceful Prince who followed
the Germans. Nonetheless, the congregation of the churches and
all the clergy came out from the cities with their icons and other
Greek paraphernalia and they always received our King with due
honor and with fear....
Source:
Odo of Deuil, La Croisade de Louis VII, roi de France,
II-III, ed. Henri Waquet, Documents relatifs à l;histoire
des croisades, Vol 3 (Paris: Paul Guethner, 1949), 30-32,
35-37, translated by James Brundage, The Crusades: A Documentary
History, (Milwaukee, WI: Marquette University Press, 1962),
106-109
Copyright note: Professor Brundage informed the Medieval
Sourcebook that copyright was not renewed on this work. Moreover
he gave permission for use of his translations.
3. The French Army in Constantinople
[Adapted from Brundage] The French forces arrived at Constantinople
on October 4, 1147. There they were both impressed by the splendor
of the city and alarmed by the suspicious actions of the Greeks:
Constantinople is the glory of the Greeks. Rich in fame, richer
yet in wealth, the city is triangular in shape, like a ship's
sail. In Its inner angle lies Santa Sophia and the Palace of Constantine,
in which there is a chapel honored for its sacred relics. The
city is hemmed in on two sides by the sea: approaching the city,
we had on the right the Arm of St. George and on the left a certain
estuaryl6 which branches off from it and flows on for almost four
miles. There is set what is called the Palace of Blachernae which,
although it is rather low, yet, rises to eminence because of its
elegance and its skillful construction. On its three sides the
palace offers to its inhabitants the triple pleasure of gazing
alternately on the sea, the countryside, and the town. The exterior
of the palace is of almost incomparable loveliness and its interior
surpasses anything that I can say about it. It is decorated throughout
with gold and various colors and the floor is paved with cleverly
arranged marble. Indeed, I do not know whether the subtlety of
the art or the preciousness of the materials gives it the greater
beauty or value. On the third side of the city's triangle there
are fields. This side is fortified by towers and a double wall
which extends for nearly two miles, from the sea to the palace.
This wall is not especially strong, and the towers are not very
high, but the city trusts, I think, in its large population and
in its ancient peace. Within the walls there is vacant land which
is cultivated with hoes and plows. Here there are all kinds of
gardens which furnish vegetables for the citizens. Subterranean
conduits flow into the city under the walls to furnish the citizens
with an abundance of fresh water. The city is rather squalid and
smelly and many places are afflicted with perpetual darkness.
The rich build their houses so as to overhang the streets and
leave these dark and dirty places for travellers and for the poor.
There murder and robberies occur, as well as other sordid crimes
which love the dark. Life in this city is lawless, since it has
as many lords as it has rich men and almost as many thieves as
poor men. Here the criminal feels neither fear nor shame, since
crime is not punisbed by law nor does it ever fully come to light.
Constantinople exceeds the average in everything-it surpasses
other cities in wealth and also in vice. It has many churches
which are unequal to Santa Sophia in size, though not in elegance.
The churches are admirable for their beauty and equally so for
their numerous venerable relics of the saints. Those who could
enter them did so, some out of curiosity in order to see them,
and some out of faithful devotion.
The King also was guided on a visit to the holy places by the
Emperor. As they returned, the King dined with the Emperor at
the latter's insistence. The banquet was as glorious as the banqueters;
the handsome service, the delicious food, and the witty conversation
satisfied eyes, tongue, and ears alike. Many of the King's men
feared for him there, but he bad placed his trust in God and with
faith and courage he feared nothing. Since he harbored no wicked
designs himself, he was not quick to believe that others harbored
wicked designs on him. Even though the Greeks gave no evidence
of their treachery, however, I believe that they would not have
shown such vigilant helpfulness if their intentions were honest.
They were concealing the grievances for which they were going
to take revenge after we crossed the Arm of St. George. It should
not be held against them, however, that they kept the city gates
closed against the commoners, since they had burned many of the
Greeks' houses and olive trees, either because of a lack of wood
or else because of the insolence and drunkenness of fools. The
King frequently bad the ears, bands, and feet of some of them
cut off, but he was unable to restrain their madness in this way.
Source:
Odo of Deuil, La Croisade de Louis VII, roi de France,
IV, ed. Henri Waquet, Documents relatifs à l;histoire
des croisades, Vol 3 (Paris: Paul Guethner, 1949), 44-46,
translated by James Brundage, The Crusades: A Documentary History,
(Milwaukee, WI: Marquette University Press, 1962), 109-111
Copyright note: Professor Brundage informed the Medieval
Sourcebook that copyright was not renewed on this work. Moreover
he gave permission for use of his translations.
4. The French Army in Asia Minor
[Adapted from Brundage] The French forces crossed the straits
into Asia Minor about October 16, 1147, and then headed straightway
into the hinterland of Anatolia or, as Odo calls it, Romania.
Though they were more fortunate than the other forces which had
preceded them into Anatolia, the French expedition's journey through
the peninsula was difficult, slow, and painful. The rugged countryside,
the continual harassment of the troops by the Turks, the persistent
difficulties with supplies and communications, all combined to
discourage the leaders and to make inroads upon the army's strength.
As the French forces pushed further during the winter of 1147-1148,
their despair deepened. Turkish raids took a mounting toll, while
the weather impeded progress and did its own share in weakening
the morale of the men. By the time the Crusaders reached Adalia,
King Louis and his advisors had had their fill. Despairing of
the prospect of continuing to fight their way toward Jerusalem,
the King and his advisors decided to continue the rest of the
way by sea. Unfortunately for these plans, however, the available
Byzantine shipping was insufficient to transport the whole army
and they could not wait indefinitely in Adalia for the arrival
of further ships. As a result, King Louis with his household and
a scattering of knights from the army were taken aboard the available
ships and sailed to St. Simeon, the port city of Antioch, leaving
the rest of the Crusading army to continue the journey as best
it could. Many of the troops thus left behind at Adalia were killed
in combat with the Turks in the vicinity of the town when they
attempted to continue their journey by land. Those who managed
to break through the Turkish cordon around the city were decimated
by further Turkish and Arab attacks and only a handful remained
alive to complete their journey to Jerusalem.:
Romania, furthermore, is a very wide land with rugged, stony mountains.
It extends south to Antioch and is bounded by Turkey on the east.
All of it was formerly under Greek rule, but the Turks now possess
a great part of it and, after expelling the Greeks, have destroyed
another part of it. In the places where the Greeks still hold
fortresses, they do not pay taxes. Such are the servile conditions
in which the Greeks hold the land which French strength liberated
when the Franks conquered Jerusalem."' This indolent people
would have lost it all, save for the fact that they have brought
in soldiers of other nations to defend themselves. They are always
losing, but since they possess a great deal, they do not lose
everything at once. The strength of other peoples, however, is
not sufficient for a people which totally lacks strength of its
own. Nicomedia first made this clear to us: located among briars
and brambles, its towering ruins demonstrated its ancient glory
and the slackness of its present masters. In vain does a certain
estuary of the sea flow from the Arm and terminate after a three-day
journey at Nicomedia to better the city's facilities.
From Nicomedia three routes of various lengths and quality lead
to Antioch. The road which turns to the left is the shorter of
them and, if there were no obstacles along it, it could be traversed
in three weeks. After twelve days, however, it reaches Konya,
the Sultan's capital, which is a very noble city. Five days beyond
the Turkish territory this road reaches the land of the Franks.
A strong army fortified by faith and numbers would make light
of this obstacle if it were not frightened by the snow-covered
mountains in the winter. The road running to the right is more
peaceful and better supplied than the other, but the winding seacoast
which it follows delays the traveller three times over and its
rivers and torrents in the winter are as frightful as the snow
and the Turks on the other road. On the middle road the conveniences
and difficulties of the other routes are tempered. It is longer
but safer than the shorter road, shorter and safer than the long
road, but poorer. The Germans who preceded us, therefore, had
a disagreement. Many of them set out with the Emperor through
Konya on the left hand road under sinister omens. The rest turned
to the right under the Emperor's brother, a course which was unfortunate
in every way. The middle road fell to our lot and so the misfortunes
of the other two sides were tempered.
Source:
Odo of Deuil, La Croisade de Louis VII, roi de France,
IV, ed. Henri Waquet, Documents relatifs à l;histoire
des croisades, Vol 3 (Paris: Paul Guethner, 1949), 54-55,
translated by James Brundage, The Crusades: A Documentary History,
(Milwaukee, WI: Marquette University Press, 1962), 111-112
Copyright note: Professor Brundage informed the Medieval
Sourcebook that copyright was not renewed on this work. Moreover
he gave permission for use of his translations.
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halsall@murray.fordham.edu
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