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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.