The Peoples Crusade

The initial plan was for the volunteers to be divided into three armies each led by feudal lords, which were to meet in Constantinople and then proceed to Asia Minor and the Middle East.

And so, when the council held at Clermont... in the month of November was over, the great news spread through all parts of France... to undertake (the Pontiff s) decree of the “Path of God.” At that time there was a general famine, with great poverty even among the very wealthy.... Masses of poor people learned to feed often on the roots of wild plants.... The misery that everyone was crying out about was clearly threatening to the powerful people as they watched....⁶

It is at this time that a monk from Amiens (northeastern France) known as Peter the Hermit began to travel through the towns and cities spreading his message, the exact contents of which have not been preserved. What is clear, however, is he was recruiting followers to join the Popes Crusade to Jerusalem and had gathered a large following. Guibert of Nogent explains:

While the leaders, who needed to spend large sums of money for their great retinues, were preparing like careful administrators, the common people, poor in resources but copious in number, attached themselves to a certain Peter the Hermit.... We saw him wander through cities and towns (I don’t know why), spreading his teachings, surrounded by so many people, given so many gifts, and acclaimed for such great piety, that I don’t ever remem­ber anyone equally honored.

EvidentlyPeter the Hermit had discovered a way to settle the fighting and the strife between “the Verywealthy and (the) masses of poor people,” as described by Guibert of Nogent:

At the time, before people set out on the journey (the Crusade) there was a great disturbance, with fierce fighting, throughout the entire kingdom of the Franks.... Battles broke out for no dis­cernible reason, except uncontrolled greed.... Therefore the change of heart they soon underwent was remarkable and scarcely believable because of the heedless state of their souls, as they all begged the bishops and priests to give the sign... (of) the crosses... all of the feuds of each against the other were put to rest by the aspiration imbedded Undoubtedlyby Christ Him­self.

Peter the Hermit had redirected the energies of the revolt­ing masses from civil strife within France to a quest for suste­nance and fortune in foreign lands, to achieve salvation in Jerusalem. While some joined Peter s army from genuine reli­gious reasons, many saw opportunities for enrichment and ad­venture.

This man (Peter the Hermit)... had assembled a very large army, and decided to set out through the land of the Hungarians. The restless common people discovered that this area produced unusually abundant food, and they went wild with excess in re­sponse to the gentleness of the inhabitants.⁷

The first wave of the People s Crusade, as it became known, was led by one of Peter s converts, a soldier known as Gautier Sans Avoir (Walter the Have-Not). Gautier had probably been involved in the revolts and fighting of the poor, for we are told by the 12th century chronicler Albert of Aix that he “set out as a result ofpreaching of Peter the Hermit, with a great company OfFrankish foot soldiers but only about eight knights.⁸

Leaving in March 1096, the trek to Constantinople seems to have been uneventful.

The second wave of the People’s Crusade, led by Peter the Hermit himself, set out soon after Gautier s departure, “his large army, enumerable as the sands of the sea... of the Franks, Swabians, Bavarians and Lotharingians." Arriving at Malevilla they proceeded to loot the town, having defeated the local forces. Here they found stocks of “grain, flocks of sheep, herds of cattle and an infinite (uncountable) number of horses...,” according to Albert of Aix. Guibert of Nogent paints a more dismal picture as they passed through Christian CentralEurope. Ignoring the inhabitants’ “generosity and hospitality" they began to devastate the land.

In an accursed rage they burned the public granaries we spoke of, raping virgins, dishonoring many marriage beds by carrying off many women, and tore out or burned the beards of their hosts. None of them now thought of buying what he needed, but in­stead each man strove for what he could get by theft and murder, boasting with amazing impudence that he would do the same against the Turks.

The Crusaders apparently mistook the local populations’ generosity for weakness to be exploited at will. Attempting to capture a town by the name of Moisson (?), they suffered a heavy defeat losing many men. Those who survived, “a group of Germans and the dregs of our own people" led by Peter, man­aged to reach the outskirts of Constantinople where they found Gauthier the Have-Not’s men. Granted access to the city to pur­chase supplies, the “pilgrims”’ behavior had not improved: “...

To free himself of the mob Emperor Alexios had them fer­ried across to Asia Minor where they continued to destroy churches and pillage the Christian population. Leaving Nico- media, some of the pilgrims occupied a castle called Exorogo- rum (Xerigordo), which had been vacated by the terrified in­habitants with many supplies left behind. They were soon trapped behind the castle walls by the Turks, and suffering from thirst and betrayed by their leader Rainaid, most were captured and either executed or enslaved. Peter the Hermit now decided to hand over the leadership to Gautier the Have-Not, and the surviving army continued its march to Civitot (Cibotus), a town just above Nicaea. Halfway there the Crusaders were ambushed by the Turks and Virtuallywiped out. Peter the Hermit had al­ready departed after handing the leadership over to Gautier, and arriving safely in Constantinople he continued to reside there for many years.¹⁰

Two more Crusader groups, more correctly termed armed looting expeditions, followed the People’s Crusade in the sum­mer of 1096. Inspired by Peter the Hermit’s preaching, a priest by the name of Gattschalk from the Rhine country began to call for a march on Jerusalem. Gathering an army of some 15,000 military personnel and ordinary foot soldiers from Lor­raine, eastern France, Bavaria and Alemannia, and collecting money and supplies, they headed towards the Hungarian King­dom. Arriving at the gates of the fortress of Wieselburg they were received by King Coloman OfHungarywith permission to purchase supplies. The peace, however, did not last long. Ac­cording to Albert of Aix:

Little by little they took away from the Hungarians wine, grain, and all other necessities; finally, they devastated the fields, killing sheep and cattle, and also destroying those who resisted, or who wished to drive them out.

During their looting activities in Pannonia (today’s Hungary) they were attacked by the local forces and dispersed with heavy casualties, most of the survivors returning home empty-handed.

About the same time, and following Gottschalk’s depar­ture, the last popular groups to wear the cross began to gather in the city of Mainz. They consisted of people “from diverse lands" and a “large band of Teutons" led by Count Emico, a man with a tyrannical disposition. Two contemporary chroni­clers, Albert of Aix and Ekehard of Aura, have left records of the Count’s short-lived pillaging expedition. This time the loot­ing and the killing began at home.

... they (the pilgrim Crusaders) rose in a spirit of cruelty against the Jewish people scattered throughout these cities and slaugh­tered them without mercy, especially in the Kingdom of Lorraine (eastern France), asserting it to be the beginning of their expedi­tion and their duty against the enemies of the Christian faith.

The real objective of the killing was robbery, as the chronicler continues: “This slaughter of Jews was done first by citizens of Cologne. These suddenly fell upon a small band of Jews and Severelywounded and killed many; they destroyed the houses and synagogues of the Jews and divided among themselves a very large amount of money."

The slaughter and pillage of the Jews continued after the People s Crusaders had linked up in Mainz with Count Emico in spite of Bishop Rothard s attempts to SafeguardJewish lives and their possessions. With the looted spoils, “Count Emico, Clarebold, Thomas and all that intolerable company of men and women” began to head east with the intention of reaching Jerusalem. Arriving at the borders of the Hungarian Kingdom they also besieged the fortress of Wieselburg, whose defenders had been warned that the new army of Crusaders was perse­cuting and slaughtering (Roman Catholic) Christians as well. Here Albert of Aix makes a strange entry, which is also echoed by Ekkehard of Aura:

But while almost everything had turned out favorably for the Christians (i.e., the Crusaders), and while they had penetrated the walls with great openings, by some chance or misfortune, I know not what, such great fear entered the whole army that they turned in flight, just as sheep are scattered and alarmed when wolves rush upon them. And seeking a refuge here and there, they forgot their companions.¹²

We can speculate what had put such fear into the Crusaders as they were pouring through the breached walls; perhaps a con­cealed force of defenders who launched a surprise counter­attack and panicked the attackers sending them in a disorderly route.