The Battle of Ephesus took place on 24 December 1147, during the Second Crusade. The French crusader army, led by Louis VII of France, successfully fended off an ambush by the

Seljuks The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; fa, سلجوقیان ''Saljuqian'', alternatively spelled as Seljuqs or Saljuqs), also known as Seljuk Turks, Seljuk Turkomans "The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes by the Turk ...

Rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Ph ...

just outside the town of Ephesus.

Background

King Louis VII led the French army on the march across

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and

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. The army decided to march along the coast of Asia Minor, because the defeat of Emperor Conrad of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and his army at

Dorylaeum Dorylaeum or Dorylaion ( el, Δορύλαιον; tr, Şarhöyük) was an ancient city in Anatolia. It is now an archaeological site located near the city of Eskişehir, Turkey. Its original location was about 10 km southwest of Eskişehi ...

had made it clear that marching inland was too dangerous. In early December 1147 the army stopped to rest at the ancient town of Ephesus before continuing through the

Meander Valley Meander Valley Council is a local government body in northern Tasmania. It covers the western outskirts of Launceston, and further westward along the Meander River. Meander Valley Council is classified as a rural local government area and h ...

to reach the major port of Adalia.Tyerman, Christopher, ''God's War: A New History of the Crusades'', (Penguin, 2006), p. 326. Upon arrival at Ephesus, Louis was warned by messengers of the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

Emperor Manuel, that the surrounding area was overrun by Seljuk Turks and that it would be wiser for Louis to garrison his army in the Imperial strongholds for the time being, especially considering that he could not rely on the local Greek population for intelligence or military help. Louis refused to listen to this advice and led his troops out of Ephesus at the end of the month.Odo of Deuil, ''De profectione Ludovici VII in Orientem'', tr. V.G. Berry (New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 1948), p. 109.

Battle

The Turks ambushed the Crusaders in the Decervium Valley, just outside Ephesus, as they were resting. Details of the battle are scarce, but according to the witness

Odo of Deuil Odo of Deuil (1110 – 18 April 1162), his first name also spelled Odon, Eude or Eudes, was a French historian of and participant in the Second Crusade (1147–1149). Born at Deuil to a modest family, he became a monk and was a confidant of Suger ...

, the courage of the crusaders prevented the Turks from achieving success. Odo also claimed that the Muslim force was led by

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...

Aftermath

The Battle of Ephesus was a minor battle of the Second Crusade.

William of Tyre William of Tyre ( la, Willelmus Tyrensis; 113029 September 1186) was a medieval prelate and chronicler. As archbishop of Tyre, he is sometimes known as William II to distinguish him from his predecessor, William I, the Englishman, a former ...

, who says that the army rested at Ephesus, does not even mention that there was a battle there. The Turks continued to attack, and were able to inflict a devastating defeat on the Crusader army at

Mount Cadmus Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...

in January 1148.

References

{{Reflist

Bibliography

Primary Sources

*Odo of Deuil, ''De profectione Ludovici VII in Orientem'', trans. V.G. Berry (New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 1948). *William of Tyre, ''A History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea'', trans. E.A. Babcock and A.C. Krey (Columbia University Press, 1943).

Secondary Sources

*Jonathan Phillips, The Second Crusade: Extending the frontiers of Christendom, (Yale University Press, 2007). *

Christopher Tyerman Christopher Tyerman (born 22 May 1953) is an academic historian focusing on the Crusades. In 2015, he was appointed Professor of History of the Crusades at the University of Oxford. Life and career He graduated from New College, Oxford, with a f ...

, ''God's War: A New History of the Crusades'', (Penguin, 2006). Ephesus 1147 Ephesus 1147 Ephesus History of İzmir Province 1147 in Asia Ephesus 1147 1140s in the Byzantine Empire