Editing Second Crusade (section)

=== German route ===
The German crusaders, accompanied by the [[papal legate]] and cardinal [[Theodwin of Santa Rufina|Theodwin]], intended to meet the French in Constantinople. [[Ottokar III of Styria]] joined Conrad at Vienna, and Conrad's enemy [[Géza II of Hungary]] allowed them to pass through unharmed. When the German army of 20,000 men arrived in Byzantine territory, Emperor [[Manuel I Komnenos]] feared they were going to attack him, and had Byzantine troops posted to ensure against trouble. A brief skirmish with some of the more unruly Germans occurred near [[Philippopolis (Thrace)|Philippopolis]] and in [[Adrianople]], where the Byzantine general Prosouch fought with Conrad's nephew, the future emperor [[Frederick I Barbarossa]]. To make matters worse, some of the German soldiers were killed in a flood at the beginning of September. On 10 September, however, they arrived at Constantinople, where relations with Manuel were poor, resulting in the [[Battle of Constantinople (1147)|Battle of Constantinople]], after which the Germans became convinced that they should cross into Anatolia as quickly as possible.{{sfn|Nicolle|2009|p=42}} Manuel wanted Conrad to leave some of his troops behind, to assist in defending against attacks from Roger II, who had taken the opportunity to plunder the cities of Greece, but Conrad did not agree, despite being a fellow enemy of Roger.{{sfn|Runciman|1952|pp=259–267}}

In Anatolia, Conrad decided not to wait for the French, but marched towards [[Iconium]], capital of the Seljuk [[Sultanate of Rum]]. Conrad split his army into two divisions. Much of the authority of the Byzantine Empire in the western provinces of Anatolia was more nominal than real, with much of the provinces being a no-man's land controlled by Turkish nomads.{{sfn|Nicolle|2009|p=43}} Conrad underestimated the length of the march against Anatolia, and anyhow assumed that the authority of Emperor Manuel was greater in Anatolia than was in fact the case.{{sfn|Nicolle|2009|p=46}} Conrad took the knights and the best troops with himself to march overland while sending the camp followers with Otto of Freising to follow the coastal road.{{sfn|Nicolle|2009|p=46}} The Seljuks almost totally destroyed King Conrad's party on 25 October 1147 at the [[second battle of Dorylaeum]].{{sfn|Riley-Smith|1991|p=50}}

In battle, the Turks used their typical tactic of pretending to retreat, and then returning to attack the small force of German cavalry which had separated from the main army to chase them. Conrad began a slow retreat back to Constantinople, his army harassed daily by the Turks, who attacked stragglers and defeated the rearguard.{{sfn|Nicolle|2009|p=47}} Conrad himself was wounded in a skirmish with them. The other division of the German force, led by the King's half-brother, Bishop [[Otto of Freising]], had marched south to the Mediterranean coast and was similarly defeated early in 1148.{{sfn|Runciman|1952|pp=267–270}} The force led by Otto ran out of food while crossing inhospitable countryside and was ambushed by the Seljuks near Laodicea on 16 November 1147. The majority of Otto's force were either killed in battle or captured and sold into slavery.{{sfn|Nicolle|2009|p=46}}