Historical Overview Section
The Second Crusade (1147-1149) was the second major crusade launched from Europe, called in 1145 in response to the fall of the County of Edessa the previous year. Edessa was the first of the Crusader states to have been founded during the First Crusade (1095-1099), and was the first to fall. The Second Crusade was announced by Pope Eugene III, and was the first of the crusades to be led by European kings, namely Louis VII of France and Conrad III of Germany, with help from a number of other important European nobles. The armies of the two kings marched separately across Europe and were somewhat hindered by Byzantine emperor Manuel I Comnenus; after crossing Byzantine territory into Anatolia, both armies were separately defeated by the Seljuk Turks. Louis and Conrad and the remnants of their armies reached Jerusalem and, in 1148, participated in an ill-advised attack on Damascus. The crusade in the east was a failure for the crusaders and a great victory for the Muslims. It would ultimately lead to the fall of Jerusalem and the Third Crusade at the end of the 12th century.
The only success came outside of the Mediterranean, where Flemish, Frisian, Norman, English, Scottish, and some German crusaders, on the way by ship to the Holy Land, fortuitously stopped and helped the Portuguese in the capture of Lisbon in 1147
Using the army in ADLG
- Richard Lionheart's Mixed Spear/XBow infantry are very good against their historical opponents
- Having too many knights may make the army hard to control - as happened in real life!
- The wide range of interesting allies are worth a good look too
Useful Links
User-contributed links about this army:
- Painting Guides from Brendan Moyle's site
- Early Blazon.com Site showing early coat of arms from their onset to the end of the Crusades, with separate sections for each Crusade
- Crusader Flags to download and use
- Equiping a Hospitaler Knight re-enactment shopping guide
- Crusader States history
- Later Crusader Army usage statistics from the ADLG ranking site
Army Lists
Sample army lists for this army
Richard CDL - Greece 2024
Strategist
2 Replaced X-Bow Units ½ Heavy spearmen ½ Crossbowmen ----
1 Sergeants Heavy Spearmen ----
1 Sergeants Heavy Spearmen Armour ----
1 Turcopoles Light Cavalry Bow ----
1 Marionites Light Infantry Bow ------
2 First Rate Crusaders Medium Knight Impact Elite
1 Crossbowmen Light Infantry Crossbow ----
==
Competent Included
2 Replaced X-Bow Units ½ Heavy spearmen ½ Crossbowmen ------
1 Turcopole Light Cavalry Bow ----
1 Templars Medium Knight Impact Elite
1 Crusaders Medium Knight Impact ------
==
Ordinary
2 Replaced X-Bow Units ½ Heavy spearmen ½ Crossbowmen
1 Sergeants Heavy Spearmen
1 Marionites Light Infantry Bow
2 Sergeants Heavy Spearmen Armour
1 Crossbowmen Light Infantry Crossbow
Fortified Camp
A very different list to my Podcast one - this was based on their theory that Armoured Spear were an under-loved troop type, which Paul Dawson had shown me att Skiing Duh the previous summer was undercooking their abilities a little! The basic idea was to ask enemy knights to have a go at the army, by wedging it between terrain pieces and giving the opposition a choice of charge or be shot by 6 crossbows.
The LH and LF are there to do the usual, but also to add the occasional +1 to the massed crossbow firing. Command 3 almost always goes in the centre, with the other two on either flank depending on terrain.
It is vital not to allow any of the LF or LH to be killed early on - you want the enemy to be taking on as many Armoured Spear in close combat as possible, ideally after the crossbows have shot as many times as possible.
Podcast Lists - Dave
Ordinary Included
3 crusader knights medium knight impetuous Elite
1 crusader knights of military orders medium knight impact elite
2 crusader light foot light infantry bow ----
==
Brilliant
4 sergeants with spears heavy spearmen armour ------
2 sergeants with crossbow crossbowmen ------
1 maronite bowmen bowmen Mediocre
1 turcopole medium cavalry bow ------
1 turcopole light cav light cavalry bow ------
1 bedouins light cavalry impact ----
1 maronite bowmen light infantry bow ----
==
Ordinary Included French Ally
3 French knights medium knight impetuous elite
2 french militia heavy spearmen ------
1 French knights medium knight impetuous ----
Tims List
Competent Included
5 Sergeants with Spears Heavy Spearmen Mediocre
2 Sergeants with Crossbow Crossbowmen pavise ------
2 Marionite Archers Light Infantry Bow ----
1 Crusaders Medium Knight Impact Elite
1 Crusaders Medium Knight Impact ----
==
Competent
5 Sergeants with Spears Heavy Spearmen Mediocre
1 Sergeants with Crossbow Crossbowmen pavise ------
1 Sergeants with Crossbow Crossbowmen ------
2 Light Foot Light Infantry crossbow ----
1 Turcopoles Medium Cavalry Bow ----
1 Bedouin Light Cavalry Impact ----
2 Crusaders Medium Knight Impact ----
==
Ordinary Included Syrian Ally
1 Turkish Ghulam Heavy Cavalry Bow Elite
2 Syrians Medium Cavalry Impact ----
1 Bedouin Light Cavalry Impact ----
Richards List
Ordinary Included
4 Holy order knights Medium knight impact Elite
1 Bedouins Light cavalry impact ------
==
Brilliant Richard Lionheart
4 Crusading knights Medium knight impetuous ------
1 Turcopoles Light cavalry bow ------
4 Sergeants with spears Heavy spearmen Mediocre
3 Mixed Foot sergeants ½ Heavy spearmen ½ Crossbowmen ----
2 Skirmishing archers Light infantry bow ----
==
Competent Included Syrian Ally
1 Turkish Ghulams Heavy cavalry bow ------
2 Syrians Medium cavalry impact ------
1 Turkomans Light cavalry bow Elite
187 L Crusader Folorn Hope USTT 2020
Competent
2 Hospitallers and Templars Medium Knight Impact Ordinary
3 Sergeants crossbow ½ Heavy spearmen ½ Crossbowmen ½ Heavy spearmen ½ Crossbowmen Ordinary
2 Sergeants with Spears Heavy Spearmen Ordinary
2 Light Infantry Light Infantry Bow Ordinary
==
Brilliant
2 Cusaders and Templars Medium Knight Impetuous Ordinary
3 Sergeants crossbow ½ Heavy spearmen ½ Crossbowmen ½ Heavy spearmen ½ Crossbowmen Ordinary
2 Sergeants with Spears Heavy Spearmen Ordinary
2 Light Infantry Light Infantry Bow Ordinary
1 Bedouins Light Cavalry Impact Ordinary
==
Ordinary
2 Hospitallers and Templars Medium Knight Impact Ordinary
2 Turcopoles Light Cavalry Bow Ordinary
187 Later Crusader Orphan Brigade
Competent
2 Templars Medium knight impact Elite
3 Sergeants crossbow ½ Heavy spearmen ½ Crossbowmen ------
2 Sergeants Heavy spearmen ------
==
Competent
2 Sergeants Heavy spearmen ------
3 Sergeants crossbow ½ Heavy spearmen ½ Crossbowmen ------
2 Syrians Light infantry bow ------
2 Templars Medium knight impetuous Elite
==
Competent
2 Crusaders Medium knight impact
1 Bedouins Light cavalry impact
1 Turcopoles Light cavalry bow
187 L Crusader Michigan Brothers
Competent
2 Sergeants with Spear Heavy spearmen Ordinary 8 16
3 Sergeants in Mixed Units ½ Heavy spearmen ½ Crossbowmen Ordinary 10 30
2 Crusaders and Templars Medium Knight impact Ordinary 11 22
1 Light Infantry Bow Light infantry crossbow Ordinary 4 4
==
Competent
2 Sergeants with Spear Heavy spearmen Ordinary 8 16
3 Sergeants in Mixed Units ½ Heavy spearmen ½ Crossbowmen Ordinary 10 30
2 Crusaders and Templars Medium Knight impact Ordinary 11 22
1 Light Infantry Bow Light infantry crossbow Ordinary 4 4
==
Competent Included
Crusaders Knights Medium Knight impetuous Elite 12 12
2 Crusaders Knights Medium Knight impetuous Ordinary 10 20
2 Turcopoles Light cavalry bow Ordinary 6 12