The failed siege ended the Second Crusade and permanently damaged relations between the crusader states and Damascus.
Key Facts
- Siege duration
- 24–28 July 1148 (5 days)
- Crusade
- Second Crusade
- Council deciding attack
- Council of Acre
- Initial approach direction
- West, through Ghouta orchards
- Fatal tactical shift
- Moved to eastern plain on 27 July
- Outcome
- Crusader retreat to Jerusalem by 28 July
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Pope Eugene III and Bernard of Clairvaux called the Second Crusade, led by Louis VII of France and Conrad III of Germany. Both armies suffered catastrophic losses crossing Anatolia. At the Council of Acre, Jerusalem's leadership, including King Baldwin III and the Knights Templar, persuaded the crusade's commanders to redirect their campaign from Edessa toward Damascus.
Between 24 and 28 July 1148, a combined crusader force besieged Damascus, initially advancing from the west to exploit the orchards of Ghouta for provisions. On 27 July the army shifted to the less fortified but barren eastern plain. Local crusader lords then refused to continue, and the three kings were compelled to abandon the siege entirely.
The siege ended in complete crusader failure and signaled the disintegration of the Second Crusade. The alienation of Damascus, previously a potential ally against more powerful Muslim rulers, weakened the strategic position of the crusader states and left the region more vulnerable to unified Muslim opposition in subsequent decades.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
3 belligerents
Baldwin III of Jerusalem, Louis VII of France, Conrad III of Germany.
Side B
1 belligerent