The People's Crusade
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The Impact of the People’s Crusade
CHHI 510: Survey of the History of Christianity
September 25, 2023
Contents
What Caused the First Crusade?
.................................................................................................
1
A Historical Perspective
................................................................................................................
1
An Islamic Perspective
..................................................................................................................
2
A Crusader Perspective
.................................................................................................................
3
The Great Schism of 1054
.............................................................................................................
4
The People’s Crusade
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6
Lessons from the People’s Crusade
............................................................................................
11
Conclusion
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12
Bibliography
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13
ii
1
The Crusades were a series of holy wars that took place between 1096 and 1291. These wars were initiated for a variety of reasons. One of these reasons included control of religious sites considered holy by both Christians and Muslims, and another reason was to bring unity between Eastern and Western Christians after the events that lead to the Great Schism of 1054. While not all the main goals of the First Crusade were accomplished, ultimately, the First Crusade was a success. However, the People’s Crusade, which was the first phase of the First Crusade, was a failure. While Peter the Hermit was successful in recruiting a large array of forces to retake the Holy Land, several factors such as his army being full of lower class, untrained peasants, not knowing the true strength of the enemy and his army becoming more focused on looting and pillaging would ultimately lead to the demise of the People’s Crusade.
What Caused the First Crusade?
A Historical Perspective
There were several unique reasons as to what caused the Crusades to occur. As Brundage notes “The Crusades were a product of the eleventh century, probably the most decisive period in
the history of western Europe.”
1
Several decades after the year 1050 witnessed the birth of a new Western world that was not seen previously which expanded in every direction.
2
Western Europe
was somewhat small and confined, with most of it being central to northern Italy, Gual, Western Germany and England.
3
The neighbors of these Western European states such as the Byzantine Greeks were all considered potential enemies of these regions. The two centuries following the year 1050 saw the west expand in essentially every direction. This expansion included 1
James A. Brundage, The Crusades: A documentary Survey, Chicago, Barakaldo Books, 2020. 12
2
Ibid.
3
Ibid.
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2
Scandinavia accepting Christianity, the Normans reclaiming Moslem and Byzantine settlements in southern Italy and Sicily, as well as Western Christian Knights taking the Iberian Peninsula from the Moslems.
4
Because of these factors, in addition to several others, the Crusades could be considered a vast migration by those in the west to expand their territories and boundaries by incorporating the West’s immediate neighbors into the Western European family. Brundage notes “The Crusades were, in fact, an integral part of the beginning of European colonialism.”
5
An Islamic Perspective
From the Islamic perspective, there were many problems that plagued the Muslim world that led to the Crusades. During the seventh century, Islam began its rapid expansion along the Arabian Peninsula after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. As Islam grew rapidly as the centuries passed, its future grew somewhat uncertain with the amount of turmoil and chaos within the Islamic sphere. The years 1092-1094 were devastating for the Islamic world due to the
high number of deaths of major political leaders from Egypt eastwards.
6
Starting in 1092, the Vizier Nizam al Mulk was murdered. The third Seljuq Sultan, Malikshah died suspiciously followed shortly by his wife, grandson and other close political leaders.
7
In 1094, the Fatimid caliph of Egypt, Al-Mustansir, who ruled for fifty-eight years, met his end. Shortly after, his vizier, Badr al-Jamali also died.
8
This year also saw the death of the Abbasid Sunni caliph Al-
Muqtadi. As one Muslim historian said, “This year is called the year of the death of caliphs and 4
James A. Brundage, The Crusades: A documentary Survey, Chicago, Barakaldo Books, 2020. 12
5
Ibid.
6
Carole Hillenbrand, The Crusades: Islamic Perspectives, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1999. 33
7
Ibid.
8
Ibid.
3
commanders.”
9
The numerous amounts of untimely deaths of such major political figures was disastrous for the Islamic world and could not have come at a worse time as the Crusades were vastly approaching.
Schisms within the Muslim world also played a factor in the years leading up to the Crusades.
In the years 1063-92, the Seljuks had begun to wage war against fellow Muslims. Specifically, against the Fatimid Shi’ite caliphate of Cairo who the Seljuks deemed “heretical.”
10
These long, drawn-out conflicts between the Shi’ites and Sunnis were fought in Syria and Palestine during this period.
11
It could be difficult to imagine the Muslims fighting against the Franks as a unified force with so much turmoil with their ranks. The years leading up to the Crusades for the Muslims were characterized by sudden losses in leadership, infighting with different sects, and general hostility and anger within the Islamic world.
12
A Crusader Perspective
From the perspective of the Crusaders, the Crusades were meant to retake the Holy land from
non-Christians who were considered wicked and evil by many of the European Christians.
13
Brundage calls it “a religious movement” where the most consequential objective in the eyes of many Western European participants was to enforce Latin Christianity upon the Holy places which included Bethlehem and Jerusalem and Syria and Palestine as well.
14
The Crusaders viewed themselves as righteous heroes commissioned by God Himself to purge the Holy lands 9
Carole Hillenbrand, The Crusades: Islamic Perspectives, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1999. 33
10
Ibid.
11
Ibid.
12
Ibid.
13
James A. Brundage, The Crusades: A documentary Survey, Chicago, (Barakaldo Books, 2020), 13.
14
James A. Brundage, The Crusades: A documentary Survey, Chicago, (Barakaldo Books, 2020), 13
4
from those who would defile it in their eyes.
15
In fact, the Crusaders believed this so much, that “Deus vult!” became the unofficial slogan of the Crusaders which meant “God Wills it!”
16
Pope Urban II made sure to characterize the nature of the enemy in such a way that ensured Muslims were evil and despicable in the eyes of God to the Crusaders. Urban noted that Muslims were “subhuman and ravishers of women, murderers of Christians and polluters of Christian churches,
violent, rapacious and aggressive.”
17
The Great Schism of 1054
During the year 1095, Pope Urban would issue a call to arms to march to the East to free the city of Jerusalem from Muslim control. At the Council of Clermont in 1095, Pope Urban would appeal to the bishops saying that recapturing the holy land was of the upmost importance.
18
However, Pope Urban did have another goal, and that was reconciliation with the Eastern Church.
19
The Muslims were not the only ones dealing with schisms within their communities. The Great Schism of 1054 had occurred years earlier which essentially left the Eastern Orthodox Christians and Western Catholics fractured for a variety of reasons. While the schism did not happen overnight, it was in fact a slow tumultuous process that had been shaping up for centuries
prior. The roots of what would become the Great Schism of 1054 could easily be traced back to the year 325.
20
This was the year that the Council of Nicaea was convened by Emperor 15
Ibid
16
John Cotts, “God Wills it! Supplementary Divine Purposes for the crusades according to Crusade Propaganda,” The Journal of Ecclesiastical History 70, no. 3 (07,2019)
17
Jacques Theron and Erna Oliver. "Changing Perspectives on the Crusades."
Hervormde Teologiese Studies
74, no. 1 (2018), https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-
journals/changing-perspectives-on-crusades/docview/2025301598/se-2.
18
Torben K. Nielsen, Legacies of the Crusades: Proceedings of the Ninth Conference of the Society for the Study of the Crusades and the Latin East, (Brepols Publishers, 2021), 21.
19
Ibid., 23
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Constantine I to settle several theological controversies and disputes between bishops.
21
While there were several resolutions from the first council such as the Nicene Creed and the date and celebration of Easter, there were still many disputes that went unresolved and lingered for many years after the council had concluded. Cultural and Language barriers would also play a role in the schism. As time had passed, the language of Western Christianity had shifted from Greek to Latin. These shifts in languages would essentially mean the development of new religious rituals and practices that would only fuel division between the different churches.
22
Centuries later, in the summer of 1054, Cardinal Humbert and representatives of Pope Leo IX (who had passed away in April of the same year) placed something known as the “bull of excommunications” on the altar of the Hagia Sophia which led to the excommunication of the Patriarch Michael Cerularius.
23
Pope Urban II knew that the division between the Eastern and Western churches were present for centuries at this point. It was his hope that the First Crusade could reunite the East and West against a common enemy in the Muslims. While he initially succeeded in this endeavor, ultimately his success with reunification as well as total control of the holy lands by the Crusaders, would not last long. It should also be noted that while Urban did achieve his initial goal of reclaiming Jerusalem from the Muslims, he passed away on 29 July 1099, which was approximately two weeks after the holy land had been recaptured.
24
20
Anna M. Cox “THE GREAT SCHISM: The Great Divide of the West, the East and Christianity,” International journal of social science studies. 6, no. 3 (2018)
21
Ibid.
22
Ibid.
23
Ibid.
24
Paul Chevedden, “Crusade Creationism Versus Pope Urban II’s Conceptualization of the Crusades.” The Historian (Kingston 75, no. 1 (2013): 12.
6
The People’s Crusade
The People’s Crusade (also known as the Popular Crusade or the Peasant’s Crusade) was the first phase of the First Crusade. The People’s Crusade was led by a charismatic monk named Peter the Hermit.
25
Pope Urban II most likely expected the nobility of the West to be the only real
participants in the First Crusade when he made his call to arms at the Council of Clermont. However, things quickly grew much more than what the Pope likely expected. While there would be many knights and noblemen who took up arms for the holy cause, there were also several participants who came from the lower class ranks of Western society hence the name “People’s” or “Peasant’s” Crusade.
26
The main differences from the People’s Crusade and the rest of the Main Crusades was that the People’s version was not sanctioned or backed by the official church while the actual Crusades were sanctioned and funded by the church directly. The
lower-class crusaders who joined Peter on his journey to Jerusalem were not specially trained combatants while the knights and noblemen of the sanctioned Crusades were. While Pope Urban II might have been thrilled that his call to arms had excited so many within the lower class, there is no way to know for certain what Urban had thought as no historical records of his thoughts on the People’s Crusade exist.
27
While most historians would likely argue that there was nothing physically special about Peter the Hermit, it is assumed that he was a gifted and charismatic speaker because of his ability
to galvanize huge swaths of people into leaving their friends, families, possessions and homes behind in service of something much bigger than themselves.
28
Because of Peter’s ability to 25
James A. Brundage, The Crusades: A documentary Survey, (Chicago, Barakaldo Books), 2020, 32
26
Ibid.,
27
Ibid., 36
28
James A. Brundage, The Crusades: A documentary Survey, (Chicago, Barakaldo Books), 2020, 32
7
galvanize and preach to the masses, it was assumed for many years that Peter himself was the originator of the First Crusade as many believed he was the first one to advocate for the freedom of Jerusalem.
29
Some estimates have suggested that Peter had gathered followers that were numbered in the thousands who mostly included peasants, criminals, some noblemen (without land), lower-ranking knights and also women and children.
30
According to some estimates, Peter’s army most likely marched thirty to forty kilometers per day on the way to Jerusalem.
31
A distinguished knight known was Walter the Penniless was one of the men who joined Peter on his quest to free Jerusalem from the Muslims. Walter had his own delegation of French soldiers and a small group of knights by his side.
32
The trek to Jerusalem was not an easy journey
for Peter and his Army. Walter and his army had come through Bulgarian territories and had incidentally begun a dispute with Bulgarian officials. During this time, much of Walters Army had dispersed while some of Walters men took refuge inside of a chapel while Bulgarian forces had grown stronger.
33
The Bulgarians burned the chapel down completely which resulted in Walter losing about sixty of his men. Those who managed to escape the burning church were seriously wounded.
34
This was only a small sample of what would ultimately be the fate of Peter’s army. Peter’s army fought through several different skirmishes on the way to the holy land. One battle of relevance was a battle in the province of Nish where Peter and his forces encountered commander Nicetas. During this encounter, Nicetas attacked the fear formation of 29
Nicholas Paul & Suzanna M. Yeager, “Remembering The Crusades: Myth, image and Identity,” (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Pres, 2012)
30
Ibid.
31
Steven Runciman “The First Crusaders’ Journey Across the Balkan Peninsula, (Byzantion 19), 1949, 210.
32
James A. Brundage, The Crusades: A documentary Survey, (Chicago, Barakaldo Books), 2020, 33.
33
Ibid., 38
34
James A. Brundage, The Crusades: A documentary Survey, (Chicago, Barakaldo Books), 2020, 38
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the Crusaders. As these battles continued to unfold, many of the crusaders were killed or captured.
35
Some estimates suggest as many as 10,000 crusaders were killed or captured which would have roughly been a quarter of Peter’s army.
36
While making their way through Semlin, Peter’s army encountered Hungarian forces and during a riot, the crusaders managed to kill about
four thousand Hungarian soldiers.
37
After these turn of events, Peter and his forces crossed the Sava River using custom built rafts which took them to the Byzantine town of Belgrade. The citizens of Belgrade had abandoned the town in anticipation of the crusaders and because of this, Peter’s army would go on to pillage and burn Belgrade to the ground.
38
The People’s Crusade was characterized by the lack of organization, discipline and control. All of this became even more evident than when the crusaders arrived in Asia minor. The difficult journey that the crusaders made through Europe had taken a toll on their enthusiasm.
39
The crusaders seemed to have been more concerned about looting and pillaging then their original objective of retaking Jerusalem. By the time the Crusaders had made their settlement at Civetot, Peter’s authority over
his forces had virtually disappeared entirely and the morale of his men was essentially at rock bottom.
40
Arguments amongst the men had started to unfold and relations had gotten to the point where the men had started to separate themselves into separate cliques. All of this led to the men starting unorganized groups with the sole purpose of raiding and pillaging nearby villages and 35
Steven Runciman “The First Crusaders’ Journey Across the Balkan Peninsula, (Byzantion 19), 1949, 213.
36
Ibid.
37
James A. Brundage, The Crusades: A documentary Survey, (Chicago, Barakaldo Books). 2020, 36.
38
Ibid.
39
Ibid., 38.
40
James A. Brundage, The Crusades: A documentary Survey, (Chicago, Barakaldo Books). 2020, 38
9
towns.
41
Ultimately, these turn of events would lead the People’s Crusade to its demise as they attracted the attention of Kilij Arslan.
A group of German soldiers who had sieged a fort previously were attacked by Kilij Arslan and his forces. The German’s defeat was decisive to the point that they had to take shelter in the fort from the hail of Turkish arrows made of horn and bone. Most of the German forces were killed and about two hundred were taken captive.
42
Once word of what happened reached Walter and his forces, they considered going after the Turks for vengeance. Walter decided against a revenge mission and wanted to wait until Peter returned from Constantinople before doing anything. After about eight days, Geoffrey Burel, the master of the infantry, convinced the army that they should retaliate against the Turkish forces.
43
After all the leaders had agreed, all the calvary and infantry troops assembled to fight the Turkish forces. The total numbers that left the camp the next morning were about twenty-five thousand infantrymen and five hundred armored knights.
44
As previously mentioned, the participants in the People’s Crusade were not well trained and because of this, they made very loud noises and sounds while marching through the mountain and forest regions. This made the crusaders easy targets for Kilij Arslan and his forces.
Arslan’s forces were able to surprise the crusaders as they were well-trained and exercised noise discipline when entering the forest regions against the crusaders.
45
When the crusaders finally met with Arslan’s forces, the crusaders were met with a hail or arrows. While the crusaders were able to mount a small offensive which resulted in about two hundred dead Turks, ultimately, they
lost several of their leaders including Walter the Penniless and Rainald of Breis. The other 41
Ibid.
42
Ibid., 39
43
Ibid., 40
44
Ibid.
45
James A. Brundage, The Crusades: A documentary Survey, (Chicago, Barakaldo Books), 2020, 40.
10
leaders, like Geoffrey Burel, had managed to escape and had essentially forsaken the surviving troops. Once it was known that the leaders had either been killed or had run away, the rest of the soldiers scattered away from the battlefield.
46
The Turks had followed the soldiers as they fled the battlefield and followed them all the way back to the camp and killed most of the soldiers en route. The Crusaders who escaped found their way to an abandoned fort along the seashore and took refuge inside for as long as they could. While many of them were killed, some were able to be rescued after Peter had gotten word of their situation and petitioned the emperor for help.
47
Peter had lost most of his untrained army. This was essentially the end of the People’s Crusade as a fighting force. Peter and those that remained had managed to remain at Constantinople under
the protection of Alexius until the Crusading expeditions from the West had arrived.
48
In hindsight, it is not surprising that the People’s Crusade ended in absolute disaster. A fighting force composed mainly of lower class, untrained, and uneducated peasants along with women and children generally stood no chance against well-trained and armed Muslim combatants. It is surprising that they managed to get as far as they did. As mentioned previously, Peter was a very gifted speaker, who assured the Crusaders that God would lead them to victory in their endeavors to retake the Holy land from the Muslims. Unfortunately for Peter and his Army, this could not have been farther from the truth. As time went on and as the Crusaders got closer and closer to Jerusalem, their determination and willpower decreased considerably. What started off as a zealous bunch of Crusaders who believed they were being led by God directly to free the holy land turned into a ragtag group of troublemakers who only appeared to cause more problems wherever they went. Even Peter’s authority over the group had waned considerably as 46
Ibid., 41
47
Ibid.
48
Ibid., 42
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time had passed. While the intentions of the People’s Crusade were genuine in wanting to retake Jerusalem, the failure that they endured as well as the knights and noblemen that would later go on to retake Jerusalem proves that the People’s Crusade should have never taken place at all.
Lessons from the People’s Crusade
There are several lessons that Christians today can take away from the People’s Crusade. The
First Crusade was not a war meant to be fought by commoners such as Peter and his Army. Society today is very secularized compared to what it used to be 50 years ago. The Christian Church today much understand that, but at the same time, must also realize that the Church should be changing society today and not the other way around. Peter and his Army answered a call to arms that was not meant for them specifically. Believers in the present time should realize that they are not called to fight every battle. Every believer today is equipped for different battles
that others may not have to face. Another lesson the Church can learn today is that finishing the race is important. Paul wrote to
Timothy saying, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7 NKJV).” When the Crusaders left for Jerusalem, they were very eager to reclaim the holy land, but as the journey became longer, their enthusiasm started to wane as they approached Jerusalem. By the time the Crusaders were near the end of their journey, they were a nothing more than a disorganized band of pillagers and looters. Even Peter was not able to hold authority over the Crusaders as he did at the start of the journey. Life is difficult for everyone, especially for believers in Christ Jesus. The People’s Crusade teaches us that you must be careful
to guard against selfish pleasures versus the need to stay faithful to your goals and beliefs.
12
Conclusion
The participants of the People’s Crusade had noble goals of freeing the Holy land from those they considered wicked and sinful. However, their own wickedness would ultimately lead the Crusader’s to their demise as the hands of the Muslims. The call to arms that Pope Urban II made at the Council of Clermont in November of 1095 was not intended for the lower-class of Western society but was instead intended for trained Knights and Noblemen who could stand toe
to toe with the Muslim armies. While Peter and his Army had much enthusiasm from the beginning of the journey while also seeing some success in battle, ultimately, their enthusiasm and morale fell apart and coupled with their lack of training and skills, it was only a matter of time before they were ultimately defeated by Kilij Arslan and his superior forces.
13
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