The Horror of the People's Crusade
The First Crusade got off to a terrible start.
The initial expeditions that set out for the east comprised little more than bands of brigands and discontented peasants and minor nobility. This was despite the fact Pope Urban II had set a timetable for the great lords of western Europe to depart on the 15 August, 1096.
But before then, two groups of crusaders set out which historians have referred to as the People’s Crusade and closely associated with it, the German Crusade. The first was a random collection of peasants and lesser nobles who were slaughtered by the Turks.
The German Crusade contained a higher proportion of knights but was so badly organised and led that it never made it anywhere near Constantinople and collapsed soon after initiating a ruthless attack on the German Jews in what has been called the First Holocaust.
Both crusades were inspired by the enigmatic Peter the Hermit.
Dressed in rags and riding a donkey, Peter was an extraordinary figure who resonated with ordinary medieval people. Chroniclers of the time said he was just as eloquent an orator as Urban II. Although only a humble priest at Amiens in France, Peter became famous as an advocate of holy war. His impact was enormous. Tens of thousands of peasants, townsfolk and knights flocked to follow him on his journey to Constantinople.
Discover the horiffying story of what happened to them in today's podcast episode.
NEW BOOK: THE INHERITORS OF ROME
The final book in my series on the Fall of the Roman Empire, The Inheritors of Rome, is now out in eBook and print on Amazon. It tells the story of what happened after Rome fell - from Charlemagne's empire to the Arab Caliphates. And how they were all inheritors of Rome. The audiobook will be out next year.
Thank you again for your continued interest and support.
Have a great weekend!
Nick
PS I'd be delighted if you wanted to forward this email to a friend who might be interested.
Nick Holmes, c/o Puttenham Press Ltd, Unit 121195, PO Box 6945, London, W1A 6US
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