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The origins of the crusades lie in developments in Western Europe earlier in the Middle Ages, as well as the deteriorating situation of the Byzantine Empire in the east. The breakdown of the Carolingian Empire in the later 9th century, combined with the relative stabilization of local European borders after the Christianization of Romulo and remo roman cointhe Vikings, Slavs, and Magyars, meant that there was an entire class of warriors who now had very little to do but fight amongst themselves and terrorize the peasant population.

 

The Church tried to stem this violence with the Peace and Truce of God movements, forbidding violence against certain people at certain times of the year. This was somewhat successful, but trained warriors always sought an outlet for their violence. One later outlet was the Reconquista in Spain and Portugal, which at times occupied Iberian knights and some mercenaries from elsewhere in Europe in the fight against the Islamic Moors. In 1063, Pope Alexander II had given papal blessing to Iberian Christians in their wars against the Muslims, granting both a papal standard (the vexillum sancti Petri) and an indulgence to those who were killed in battle. A plea for help from the Byzantine Emperor Alexius I Comnenus in opposing Muslim attacks thus fell on ready ears.

"Conrad III (1093-1152), the first German king of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was the son of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia. As duke of Franconia, he supported the unsuccessful candidacy of his brother, Frederick II of Swabia, for the kingship of Germany on the death of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry V (1125). Elected king of Italy in December 1127 in opposition to Lothar II, Conrad acknowledged Lothar as emperor only in spanish colonial coins, shipwreck coins, shipwreck treasure, atocha coins, ancient coins, ancient coin jewelry, pillar dollar, bust dollar, atocha, spain, cobs, 8 reales, 8 escudos, princess louisa, spanish galleon, Mel Fisher, ancient greek coins, ancient roman coins, piece of eight, gold doubloon, new world, galleon, 1135. After Lothar's death (December 1137), Conrad was elected king of the Romans (the title customarily accorded preparatory to accession as emperor) and thereby ruler of Germany at Coblenz in March 1138.

 

 In 1146, Conrad heard Bernard of Clairvaux preach the crusade at Speyer, and he agreed to join Louis VII on the Second Crusade. Conrad and his army went overland, via Hungary, causing disruptions throughout the Byzantine territories they crossed through. They arrived at Constantinople by December of 1146, ahead of the French army.

Rather than take the coastal road around Anatolia through Christian-held territory, by which he sent most of his noncombatants, Conrad took his army straight across Anatolia. On October 25, 1147, they lost a major battle to the Turks at Dorylaeum. Conrad and most of the mounted knights escaped, but most of the foot soldiers were killed or captured. Conrad later reached the crusader kingdom by sea from Constantinople. Conrad was never crowned emperor, and continued to style himself king of the Romans until his death. He designated his nephew Frederick I Barbarossa his successor, rather than his own son - showing that lineal descent of offices had not yet overtaken earlier ideas of family succession."

 Sources: Wikipedia /  Baldwin, M.W. A History of the Crusades: the first hundred years, 1969
 

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