This Week in Christian History: Gregor Mendel Born, Social Gospel Theologian Dies, Second Crusade

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Twitter

Crusaders Defeated at Damascus – July 28, 1148

Pope Urban II giving his call to crusade at the Council of Clermont in November 1095.
Pope Urban II giving his call to crusade at the Council of Clermont in November 1095. | (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

This week marks the anniversary of when the armies of the second Crusade performed a five-day siege of Damascus, only to be defeated and repulsed.

Approximately 30,000 Christian soldiers laid siege to the ancient city, at that time an Islamic stronghold. The effort was marred by disputes within the Crusader leadership and eventually the arrival of a large Muslim army ended the siege in failure.

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"The defeat of the Second Crusade at Damascus ensured that the Christian crusader states in the Holy Land would remain on the defensive for the foreseeable future," noted Britannica.

"There was no longer any realistic prospect of expansion so the Christians were confined to small states surrounded by larger and more powerful Muslim enemies."

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