1090–1153 · Abbot of Clairvaux and preacher of the Second Crusade
Bernard of Clairvaux
The most influential figure of the Cistercian order; he supported the recognition of the Templars and, with the preaching he began at Vézelay in 1146, became the chief propagandist of the Second Crusade.
BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER
Life and historical role
Life and political setting
From a noble Burgundian family, Bernard entered the monastery of Cîteaux in 1112 and founded Clairvaux in 1115. In the papal schism he backed Innocent II; when his pupil became Pope Eugenius III, his weight in church politics grew further.
Role in the Crusades
At the Council of Troyes in 1129 he supported the approval of the Templars' rule and wrote In Praise of the New Knighthood in the order's honour. After the fall of Edessa, at Eugenius III's call, he preached at Vézelay on 31 March 1146; he then persuaded Conrad III in Germany to join the crusade and opposed the attacks on Jews in the Rhineland.
Historical significance and source problems
The failure of the Second Crusade damaged Bernard's reputation; in De consideratione he explained the defeat by the crusaders' sins. He was canonised in 1174. His letters and sermons survive in great number; Odo of Deuil and Otto of Freising describe his influence as contemporaries.
Biographical information is linked to the sources shown on the page and to the connected event records. Disputed dates are given as approximate, gaps are not filled by conjecture, and later literary or visual depictions are not treated as contemporary portraits.