Books
3 Best Novels About the Second Crusade
Bestselling authors first, then star rating.
War
Second Crusade
1147–1149 CE
The Second Crusade followed the capture of Edessa in 1144 and was preached by Bernard of Clairvaux. It drew major rulers, including Louis VII of France and Conrad III of Germany, but its eastern campaign failed, especially after the unsuccessful attack on Damascus. The crusade damaged confidence in crusading leadership.
The campaign matters because it revealed the difficulty of sustaining crusader power in the East. Poor coordination, local politics, Byzantine tensions, and strategic mistakes undermined the expedition. Its failure also changed attitudes toward crusading and exposed divisions among Christian powers.
The Second Crusade appears in fiction about Eleanor of Aquitaine, Louis VII, and the politics of the crusader states. Sharon Kay Penman and Elizabeth Chadwick’s Angevin-era worlds help connect the crusade to royal marriage and dynastic politics. It suits novels about failed pilgrimage, strained marriage, reputation, and the disillusionment of holy war.
Related people for Second Crusade
Cadwaladr ap Gruffuddc. 12th century–1172 David I of Scotland1084–1153 Eleanor of Aquitaine1124–1204 Empress Matilda1102–1167 Henry of Blois1096–1171 John Marshal1105–1165 Louis VII of France1120–1180 Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester1090–1147 Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester1104–1168 Robert Pennantdied 1168 Roger de Clintonc. 11th century–1148 Stephen, King of England1095–1154
Non Fiction
1 Non-Fiction Book About the Second Crusade
Histories, biographies and reference works are listed separately from the historical novels above.