Download Source 2: Albert of Aachen on the Peasants` Crusade Background

Source 2: Albert of Aachen on the Peasants’ Crusade
Background: While the army of the First Crusade was assembling, there arose a number
of popular crusading movements led by different charismatic preacher. Unorganized and
often violent, these groups showed a fanatical belief in the justness of their cause – a
belief that result in the slaughter of Jewish communities in Europe and hostile encounters
with fellow Christians in both Eastern Europe and Byzantium while on their way to
Jerusalem. Most medieval accounts of these popular crusaders are critical of their
actions and motives, and it is certainly true that politics and personal gain were as much
a part of the movement as religious feeling. Although not accepted by higher church
authorities, leaders such as Peter the Hermit gained a great following, demonstrating the
intensity of piety (religious devotion) within Europe at this time.
There was a priest, Peter the Hermit, who in every sermon urged all those capable to go
out on crusade. In response to his constant admonition bishops, abbots, clerics, and
monks set out; next most noble laymen, princes; then, all the common people, the chaste
as well as the sinful, adulterers, homicides, thieves, perjurers, and robbers: indeed every
class of the Christian profession, nay also women, entered upon the expedition.
In the year 1096, Walter the Penniless, a well-known soldier, set out to Jerusalem
with a great company of Frankish foot soldiers and about eight knights, as a result of the
preaching of Peter the Hermit… Some of Walter’s men who delayed in Malevilla to buy
arms were robbed by Hungarians, but Walter felt it prudent to not retaliate and told the
company to keep going. Walter went down with his company to Constantinople and
humbly begged the emperor of the Byzantine Empire to rest there and buy goods for their
journey, and wait for Peter the Hermit’s army to join them. Then he asked if both armies
could go together and use their seaport to continue their journey to Jerusalem when
ready. The outcome was that the requests made of Emperor Alexius were granted.
Peter the Hermit, on his way to Constantinople heard of what happened in
Malevilla to Walter’s men, set out to avenge them. The King of Hungary was not pleased
with this and began to gather troops, so Peter and his company hurried on their way to
Constantinople.
At the beginning of the summer in the same year that Peter the Hermit and his
army had set out, another army of popular movement assembled from diverse Christian
kingdoms such as France, England, Flanders, and Lorraine. By some error of mind they
rose in a spirit of cruelly against Jewish people scattered throughout these cities and
slaughtered them without mercy, asserting it to be the beginning of their expedition and
their duty against the enemies of the Christian faith. Not long after this, they arrived at
the city of Mainz. The Jews of this city, knowing about the recent slaughter of Jews, fled
in hope of safety to Bishop Rothard. He placed Jews in the very spacious hall of his own
house away from the Christian army, but the army broke the bolts and doors of the house
and killed the Jews. They killed the women, also, and with their swords pierced tender
children of whatever age and sex.