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Choat 1 Disaster of the Popular Crusade On November 27, 1095, Pope Urban II made a call to action to his fellow Catholics at the Council of Clermont to help their Eastern Orthodox brethren from the cruel Muslims in the East. No one that day, even Urban II, could fathom the incredible response throughout Europe that his moving speech would create. Within months, armies, and groups of pilgrims started to gather in Western Europe and make the long journey to Constantinople and hopefully to the Holy Land. The first wave of the First Crusade to travel southeast was considered the Popular Crusade or the People’s Crusade. The humble names correlate to the large numbers of commoners within these groups that traveled across Europe. Many of these commoners along with knights and nobles had different intentions to make a trek to Jerusalem. These intentions were as varied as opening the route for Christians to enter the Holy Land, helping the Eastern Orthodox Byzantines, gaining land and wealth and some only wanted to kill the “non-believers”. After six months of traveling, pillaging, murdering, the Popular Crusade would end in an enormous disaster with little to nothing accomplished. The Popular Crusade failed miserably because of bad planning, a rag-tag army and pilgrims, and a lack of supplies that left the groups vulnerable from all foes along the way. The famed speech at the Council of Clermont that was responsible for starting the First Crusade was actually not recorded word for word. The best conclusion to what Urban said is to piece together what the most reliable chroniclers had in common. Urban probably spoke of the Muslims who “invaded the Choat 2 lands of [the Byzantines] and has depopulated them by sword, pillage and fire”1. The chroniclers point to Urban speaking about the atrocities committed by the Muslims on the Byzantines and that the Greeks needed assistance. He also spoke of the ability to forgive sins of the participants if they went on the crusade, which was a new proposition for the time2. This would allure many people in Europe to go crusading because of the difficulty to remove sins at the time. With the Pope issuing a call-to-arms for the Christians, this could be considered a start of a Christian “Just War”. Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas originally conceived the idea and set rules for properly conducting warfare. The first rule required a “monarch should have the power of undertaking war if he thinks it advisable”3. The other rules require the war to be for a just cause and “seeks the peace of mankind”4. These rules make many wars hard to conduct if followed strictly. But many Crusaders saw this expedition as a Just War because the Pope called for it, their Christian brothers were in trouble and they were going to eliminate the Muslims from the Holy Lands. By March and into April 1096, there were already groups leaving for Constantinople. One of the leaders, Peter the Hermit from Amiens, France, “lived as “The Speech of Urban: The Version of Robert of Rheims,” in The First Crusades: The Chronicle of Fulcher of Chartres and Other Source Materials, ed. Edward Peters, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1971), 27. 2 “The First Crusade I,” in History 3113: The Crusades (University of Oklahoma, 2014) 3 Augustine of Hippo on Just War, Augustine: The Writings against the Manicheans, in The Crusades: A Reader, ed. S. J. Allen and Emilie Amt, Readings in Medieval Civilization and Cultures 8 (Toronto: Broadway Press, 2003), 8. 4 Ibid., 8. 1 Choat 3 a hermit, dressed as a monk”5 and was known to be a simple man, commonly seen ”wearing a woolen shirt, and over it a mantle reaching to his ankles” and also rode a mule6. Being a hermit, Peter was a very pious man and genially wanted to go to Jerusalem to open up pilgrimage routes for the Europeans, which was a reason he wanted to start a crusade in 10957. Peter was a great speaker and astonished these pilgrims, a chronicler said, “whatever he did or said it seemed as if there was something divine”8. This humble hermit preached throughout northern France and went city-to-city recruiting followers. By Easter, Peter had gathered more than 15,000 people, including knights, foot soldiers, peasants, women and the elderly 9 and also found fellow leader Walter the Penniless10. These common people that Peter recruited were known to be “sinful, adulters, homicides, thieves, perjures and robbers”11. This group was very diverse and rough, which included the clergy, nobles and criminals and were led by a very pious preacher. As a hermit, Peter probably saw the good in all his followers, even if they were criminals. This poor judge of character would eventually lead to the People’s Crusades’ downfall. Walter the Penniless was so moved by Peter’s preaching that he went ahead and left to “Peter the Hermit: The Version of Guibert of Nogent,” in The First Crusades: The Chronicle of Fulcher of Chartres and Other Source Materials, ed. Edward Peters, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1971), 103. 6 Sacred Violence: The European Crusades to the Middle East, 1095-1396, Jill N. Claster, (Toronto, University of Toronto, 2009), 39, 40. 7 Ibid., 40. 8 Ibid., 40. 9 Ibid., 40. 10 “Peter the Hermit: The Version of Albert of Aachen,” in The First Crusades: The Chronicle of Fulcher of Chartres and Other Source Materials, ed. Edward Peters, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1971), 104. 11 “Albert of Aachen on the Peasants’ Crusade”, in The Crusades: A Reader, ed. S. J. Allen and Emilie Amt, Readings in Medieval Civilization and Cultures 8 (Toronto: Broadway Press, 2003), 48. 5 Choat 4 Constantinople early, which caused Peter to have to follow suit12. With this premature start to the crusade, the groups of travelers did not have time to organize, train or gather enough supplies for such a long journey. These groups could have gathered in Europe for a couple more months and waited for the second wave to leave so they could have a better chance of success. The sudden start also left many war hungry Germans behind13. These people would commit some of the worst atrocities of the First Crusade and turn a pilgrimage to the Holy Land into a massacre of innocent Jews. The groups of pilgrims and soldiers that headed toward Constantinople were an interesting assortment of people. The most detrimental people of the groups were the criminals or sinful characters, as mentioned before. These people probably had very little understanding of Christian principles or what a Just War was. A couple weeks after the expedition started, the Germans already had their own agenda about what they wanted to accomplish during the crusade. By the start of May 1096, a mob had formed, set out to kill any non-believers and the Jews happened to be not too far away14. The first Jewish victims were in Speyer. A Christian chronicler did not know “whether by a judgment of the Lord, or by some error of mind, they rose in a spirit of cruelty against the Jewish people … and slaughtered them without mercy”15. The Speyer attack was poorly planned and Sacred Violence: The European Crusades to the Middle East, 1095-1396, Jill N. Claster, (Toronto, University of Toronto, 2009), 40. 13 Ibid., 40. 14 Ibid., 41. 15 “The Slaughter of the Jews: The Version of Albert of Aachen,” in The First Crusades: The Chronicle of Fulcher of Chartres and Other Source Materials, ed. Edward Peters, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1971), 110. 12 Choat 5 killed only eleven Jews. After a bishop saved the Jews and turned away the angry mob they set their sights on Worms16. When the mob arrived, the Jews of Worms either fled to the towns’ bishops or stayed in their homes17 but neither worked and the “entire Jewish Community was eliminated”18. In the next town, Mainz, Count Emico first appeared to lead the mob. Ekkehard, a monk of Corvey, would describe him as “a man long of very ill repute on account of his tyrannical mode of life”19. The Jewish chroniclers would begin by saying “the wicked [Emico]- may his bones be ground up”20 to start their descriptions of the horrors. At Maniz the worst of the atrocities occurred and Emico lived up to being a “religious fanatic and a bloodthirsty warrior”21. The Jews of Maniz were alerted earlier of the horrors at Speyer and Worms and decided to find safety with Bishop Rothard22. The leaders of the town opened up the gates to appease the crusaders but they thought the gates opening was a sign of God and they said, “that we might avenge [Jesus’] blood on the Jews”23. The mob went after every sex, age,24 and pregnant women and even their Sacred Violence: The European Crusades to the Middle East, 1095-1396, Jill N. Claster, (Toronto, University of Toronto, 2009), 41. 17 “Gezerot Tatnu 4856/1096: The Version of the Anonymous of Mainz,” in The First Crusades: The Chronicle of Fulcher of Chartres and Other Source Materials, ed. Edward Peters, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1971), 115. 18 Ibid., 41. 19 Ibid., 112. 20 Ibid., 120. 21 Sacred Violence: The European Crusades to the Middle East, 1095-1396, Jill N. Claster, (Toronto, University of Toronto, 2009), 42. 22 “The Slaughter of the Jews: The Version of Albert of Aachen,” in The First Crusades: The Chronicle of Fulcher of Chartres and Other Source Materials, ed. Edward Peters, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1971), 110. 23 “Gezerot Tatnu 4856/1096: The Version of the Anonymous Mainz,” in The First Crusades: The Chronicle of Fulcher of Chartres and Other Source Materials, ed. Edward Peters, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1971), 120. 24 Ibid., 110. 16 Choat 6 unborn children were not spared25. There were even reports of self-sacrifice to avoid being converted26, including a mother killing her children so they didn’t have to be killed by Christians27. A Christian chronicler concluded, “the hand of the Lord is believed to have been against the pilgrims, who had sinned by excessive impurity and fornication, and who had slaughtered the exiled Jews through greed of money rather than for the sake of God’s justice”28. The mob continued on to Cologne, where another slaughter would occur29. So why would these Christians do such horrendous atrocities? Obviously, these people were quite wicked, but also, a mob can bring out the worst in people and it certainly did in this case. A person lost in all of this was Peter the Hermit. While Peter was previously gathering followers, he gave the “reminder that the Christians believed that the Jews had been responsible for the crucifixion of Christ”30. This was a terrible thing for Peter to preach, especially to uneducated criminals who thought it was their duty to kill the Jews for Christ. Due to all the murdering and plundering in Germany by Emico and his forces, the King of Hungary refused Emico to travel through his country31. The frustrated Emico decided to besiege a Hungarian stronghold but after “three weeks… his army was defeated, his men dispersed, and [Emico] was forced to turn back to “Gezerot Tatnu 4856/1096: The Version of the Anonymous Mainz,” in The First Crusades: The Chronicle of Fulcher of Chartres and Other Source Materials, ed. Edward Peters, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1971), 119. 26 Ibid., 117. 27 Ibid,. 122. 28 Ibid., 111. 29 Sacred Violence: The European Crusades to the Middle East, 1095-1396, Jill N. Claster, (Toronto, University of Toronto, 2009), 42. 30 Ibid., 41. 31 Sacred Violence: The European Crusades to the Middle East, 1095-1396, Jill N. Claster, (Toronto, University of Toronto, 2009), 43. 25 Choat 7 Germany”32. After the tragedies of Jews in Germany, the groups would continue south to Hungary. If the blunder of the Jewish massacres were not already a terrible leadership mistake, there would be more to follow the pilgrims. After the journey through Germany, Peter the Hermit and the other leaders of the groups had to enter Byzantine occupied Hungary to reach Constantinople. In the first groups, Peter the Hermit and Walter the Penniless faced a dyer issue, supplies. Peter and Walter had to raise money for horses and military weapons and most importantly needing food for everyone, including all of the pilgrims and horses33. The groups had to either pack enough supplies for the long journey, but that required more supplies to carry,. They could also buy food along the way or they could pillage the countryside34. Walter could have made it through hostile Hungary with plenty of supplies and money but the group once again faced problems35. While traveling through Semlin, there were stragglers in the city that stayed after Walter’s main group had left. The remaining pilgrims ended up being “robbed… of arms, garments, gold and silver and so let them depart, naked and empty-handed”36. Farther in Hungary, Walter’s group was not allowed to buy anything in the town of Belgrade and so the famished crusaders went out to pillage Sacred Violence: The European Crusades to the Middle East, 1095-1396, Jill N. Claster, (Toronto, University of Toronto, 2009), 43. 33 Ibid., 43. 34 Ibid., 43. 35 Ibid., 44. 36 “Albert of Aachen on the Peasants’ Crusade”, in The Crusades: A Reader, ed. S. J. Allen and Emilie Amt, Readings in Medieval Civilization and Cultures 8 (Toronto: Broadway Press, 2003), 48. 32 Choat 8 instead37. The pillagers took the cattle and sheep that were along the countryside for their food. The pilgrims outraged the Bulgarians and the two groups met in combat within a chapel where 60 pilgrims were burned to death38 and “the Bulgarians inflicted grave wounds”39. The troubles did not end there, in Semlin, more conflict occurred over the robbery of Walter’s men. The group went back to the Hungarian city in revenge and actually took the town40. Peter tried to stay out of the conflict and traveled south to Nish. With some cleaver negotiation, Peter’s group was able to buy supplies in the city. But once again the troublesome Germans, who were outside the city, set mills ablaze. This enraged the Byzantines, and they sent soldiers to silence the pilgrims. Around a quarter of his followers died in this ordeal41. After this violence, Walter and Peter’s groups were able to reach Constantinople peacefully by August 1, 109642. These pilgrims survived many perils from the other travelers killing innocent Jews, conflicts within Hungary, pillaging because of a lack of food but they finally reached their first goal, which was Constantinople. The last and most deadly problem the crusaders would face in the People’s Crusade was from a lack of supplies. The Byzantine Emperor, Alexius Comnenus, looked forward to meeting with Peter the Hermit and told him to reach Sacred Violence: The European Crusades to the Middle East, 1095-1396, Jill N. Claster, (Toronto, University of Toronto, 2009), 44. 38 Ibid., 44. 39 “Albert of Aachen on the Peasants’ Crusade”, in The Crusades: A Reader, ed. S. J. Allen and Emilie Amt, Readings in Medieval Civilization and Cultures 8 (Toronto: Broadway Press, 2003), 49. 40 Sacred Violence: The European Crusades to the Middle East, 1095-1396, Jill N. Claster, (Toronto, University of Toronto, 2009), 45. 41 Ibid., 45. 42 Ibid., 45. 37 Choat 9 Constantinople quickly. When Peter reached the city, Alexius gave Peter gifts 43 and “urged him to await the arrival of the other counts”44. Peter’s followers were left outside of the city because Alexius “feared the incursion of the people, for he had already experienced the savage fury, their fickleness of mind, and their readiness to approach anything with violence”45. Alexius instructed Peter to wait to cross the Bosphorus and not enter Turkish lands; his group would be able to buy to goods and supplies46. The pilgrims said peaceful for two months but they either ran out of money to pay for food or the crusaders got bored, but either way, they wanted to go out and pillage47. The crusaders “conducted themselves very badly… they tore down and burned buildings … [stole parts off churches] and sold it to the Greeks”48. Alexius was furious with these people, who he treated so kindly, and ordered them to cross the Bosphorus immediately49. After crossing the strait, the group continued to pillage, “burning and plundering houses and churches,”50 once again a mob had ensued. They continued to Xerogord, where they took the city for its “ample supply Sacred Violence: The European Crusades to the Middle East, 1095-1396, Jill N. Claster, (Toronto, University of Toronto, 2009), 45. 44 “The End of the “Crusade of the People”: The Version of Anna Comnena,” in The First Crusades: The Chronicle of Fulcher of Chartres and Other Source Materials, ed. Edward Peters, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1971), 144. 45 Ibid., 143. 46 Sacred Violence: The European Crusades to the Middle East, 1095-1396, Jill N. Claster, (Toronto, University of Toronto, 2009), 45. 47 Ibid., 45. 48 “The End of the “Crusade of the People”: The Gesta Version,” in The First Crusades: The Chronicle of Fulcher of Chartres and Other Source Materials, ed. Edward Peters, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1971), 144. 49 Ibid., 144. 50 Ibid., 144. 43 Choat 10 of grain, wine and meat, and an abundance of all goods”51. With all of this terror, the Turks were alerted and sent troops to the city. The Turks shut off the water supply for the crusaders and the “people were in such distress from thirst that they bled their horses … and drank their blood”52. After eight days, an agreement was settled to either convert to Islam and become slaves or face death53. The Turks then went to Civitote where the rest of the group, including Walter the Penniless was located to finish off the crusaders54. The Turks killed the crusaders who were “sleeping, some laying down, others naked” the ones who could escape fled into the sea, forest and mountains55. Before the Turks arrived, Peter the Hermit had gone back to Constantinople because the mob had gotten too out of control56. Another account said the emperor sent Catacalon Constantine Euphorbenus on a war vessel to Helenopolis to save Peter the Hermit57. The more likely scenario was the first, in which the peaceful Peter could not contain the vicious mob and traveled back to Byzantine territory58. The People’s Crusade was finished by October 1096 and it ended gruesomely for the pilgrims and crusaders. Very few from the journey made it to Constantinople and most of the remaining followers did not survived after “The End of the “Crusade of the People”: The Gesta Version,” in The First Crusades: The Chronicle of Fulcher of Chartres and Other Source Materials, ed. Edward Peters, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1971), 145. 52 Ibid., 145. 53 Ibid., 145. 54 Ibid., 145. 55 Ibid., 146. 56 Ibid., 145. 57 “The Byzantines Save Peter the Hermit: The Version of Anna Comnena,” in The First Crusades: The Chronicle of Fulcher of Chartres and Other Source Materials, ed. Edward Peters, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1971), 151. 58 “The End of the “Crusade of the People”: The Gesta Version,” in The First Crusades: The Chronicle of Fulcher of Chartres and Other Source Materials, ed. Edward Peters, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1971), 145. 51 Choat 11 crossing the Bosphorus. Peter the Hermit was the only leader to make it back to Constantinople alive. The People’s Crusade was a failure from the beginning, middle and end. Nothing of importance was accomplished for Peter the Hermit and the other travelers. Every step on the journey, marked misfortunes and anytime it seemed like the pilgrims were making progress, the criminals among them got out of line and reeked havoc throughout Europe and into the East. The problems of initial planning from Peter’s part, the mob mentality of the followers, and lack of used supplies doomed the People’s Crusade. The expedition was supposed to open the path for pilgrims to enter Jerusalem and help their Eastern Orthodox brothers but the expedition only showed how bad mankind can be. The only good, for the Christians, that came from the People’s Crusade was that the Turks expected future crusaders to be as feeble as Peter and Walter’s group had been. Nevertheless, the People’s Crusade did much more bad than good and made all Christians look like hypocrites to the teachings of Christ and the message of Pope Urban II. Ironically, the leader of this failed journey, Peter the Hermit, gathered all these people for a trek for Christ and ended up seeing almost all of them plunder, murder and eventually be killed before anything could accomplished.