Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) was born into a noble family. As a young man, he entered the monastery of Citeaux and at age 25 was commissioned to establish a new branch of the monastery. He presided over this famous monastery of Clairvaux, from which sixty-eight other branches of the Cistercian order came. Bernard is perhaps best known for sponsoring the Second Crusade (1147-49), which ended in dismal failure. During his time as an abbot, Bernard became famous for his constant preaching and modest writing and is known today as one of the foremost theologians of the Middle Ages.