The+People's+Crusade

This page should outline the main features of the initial expedition to the Holy Land. This should include the initial response to the preaching, a description of Peter the Hermit, the massacres of Jews in Germany, their experiences at Constantinople and the eventual destruction of the Crusade in Asia Minor.

Points to include are the peoples response to Pope Urban's speech, the involvement of Peter the Hermit, the involvement of Walter the Penniless, the slaughter of the Jews in Germany, the journey from Germany to Constantinople, experiences at Constantinople, the splitting of the Crusade and the slaughter at Nicaea.

In April in the year 1096 around 40,000 people set off on the Crusade, with around 30,000 making it to Constantinople. This Crusade was to become known as the People's Crusade. This was not a Crusade of knights but of peasant men, women and children. The Peoples Crusade was triggered by a number of things: Many were impatient and wished to set out as soon as Pope Urban made his speech, this was impossible for knights who had to make sure their land was in order. Others believed that God wished this Crusade to go ahead now as they had received religious signs such as shooting stars and eclipses. And finally one of the main reasons for the people setting out on the Peoples Crusade was that, like some knights in the Princes Crusade, they would be able to escape problems and set up a much better life in the Holy Land. This refusal to wait for the Princes Crusade to start shows a clear lack of discipline, which will cost the Peoples Crusade dearly throughout its journey towards the Holy Land.[SS]

In 1093, Peter the Hermit had already visted the Holy Land. However, after Pope Urban's speech in 1095, Peter began to tour France and Germany looking for knights and warriors, but also peasants and tradesmen. In the Spring of 1096, Peter the Hermit began the leader of the People's Crusade and he and his followers left for Constantinople. In August of the same year, his army entered Asia Minor where he found trouble maintaining discpiline among his troops and seriously low on provisions as he was an inexperienced and lacking leader. He immediately returned to Constantinople to seek help from Alexius I. However, in his absence, his entire army was slaughtered at Civetot by a Turkish force. In may 1097, he and the few surviving members of the people's crusade joined the Prince's crusading force and made their way through Asia Minor. At the siege of Antioch, Peter the Hermit was accused of trying to flee and after being caught, led an unremarkeable life afterwards. [JT]

Walter the Penniless was a Frankish knight who left Cologne for the Crusade just after Easter 1096. His name seems to refer to him as being a poor knight, however, this was almost certainly not the case and he led a few thousand men. It seems that Walter and his army had sufficient funds as they passed through Germany and Hungary without incident, finally reaching Byzantine territory by the end of May.

The preaching of the first crusade inspired an outbreak of anti-semitism and the creation of 'the other' in Pope Urban's speech made the Christians believe that they were the true people of God and the worshippers of other religions were Pagans and should be killed in the name of God. The Jews were also more within reach of the people's crusade than the distant Muslims were and were also seen as responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus; something which spurred the peoples crusade on to do the atrocities that were to occur. In addition to massacaring many Jews as an 'extension of their crusading mission'. It was also convenient that many of the cruasders owed vast amounts of money to Jewish loans which they had used to buy their crusading equipment. By killing the Jews, their debts also managed to clear. [JJEW]

Peter and the remaining crusaders left Cologne on about 20th April 1096. When they reached the Danube some crossed by boat however the main army continued overland and entered Hungary at Odenburg. There it continued unharmed and rejoined the Danube contingent at Semlin on the Byzantine border. The stay at Semlin wasn't quite as successful, as a dispute between some of Peters ranks and citizens of Semlin led to a full scale riot in the city. Around 4000 Hungarians were killed and Peters army was forced to flee across the river Save to Belgrade. Peters army now with little discipline pilaged the city. On reachng Nich in July, the commander of the city knowing the uncontrollability of the crusaders provided an escort to Constantinople for Peter and his followers, so long as they passed through peacefully. Thus they were escorted to Sofia were they met with a Byzantine escort, which brought them safely to Constantinople by August. (EC)

Alexius was not expecting such an unorganised, uncontrollable army and as such, treated them with caution and reluctance. He would not let them into the city, although he did give them supplies. This however, was not enough to please the unpredictable mass of crusaders, and in retaliation to Alexius' inhospitality, they proceeded to burn parts of the city. As a result, the desperate emperor decided to ferry all the crusaders over the Bosporus, warning Peter the Hermit not to engage the turks, whom he believed superior to the crusaders, and wait for the main body of the forces. This warning however, went unheeded. [HS]

The bloodthirsty and ill disciplined force set out across Asia Minor in August, capturing some small towns and raiding the countryside. However they were hopelessly ignorant of the area they found themselves in and sections of the army soon found themselves in trouble, notably when an Italian and German contingent was destroyed in the fort of Xerigordos. This contingent had captured the fort but were encircled by a large Turkish force who, after a terrible eight day siege in which the Crusaders ran out of water, broke in and slaughtered the garrison. News of this incited the remainder of the Crusading force to make a direct attack against Nicaea,