Raymond of Poitiers welcoming Louis VII in Antioch. In June 1147 Louis VII and h...

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Raymond of Poitiers welcoming Louis VII in Antioch. In June 1147 Louis VII and his queen, Eleanor, set out from Metz, Lorraine, on the overland route to Syria. Just beyond Laodicea the French army wasambushed by Turks. As they were bombarded by arrows and heavy stones, the Turks swarmed down from the mountains and the massacre began. Odo of Deuil reported that Louis lost his small but famous royal guard in the fight but scaled the mountain side by gripping the tree roots to avoid capture. The enemy went after him, and even shot arrows. But Louis was unscathed, defending the crag with by sword, cutting off heads and hands.

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