Bernard of Clairvaux Preaches the Second Crusade: Thousands Take the Cross
Bernard ran out of crosses. He'd prepared cloth ones to pin on volunteers, but so many rushed forward at Vézelay that he tore his own white Cistercian robe into strips, handing out pieces to thousands. Louis VII didn't just attend—he'd already secretly vowed to go, wearing his cross beneath his royal garments before Bernard even spoke. The monk's charisma was so overwhelming that mothers reportedly hid their sons and wives their husbands to prevent them from taking vows. Three years later, the Second Crusade collapsed in catastrophic failure at Damascus, and Bernard spent his final years defending why he'd sent 50,000 men to their deaths. The torn robe became medieval Europe's most expensive recruiting mistake.
March 31, 1146
880 years ago
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