What was the People's Crusade and why did it fail? Flashcards
Who were the leaders of the people’s crusade?
The People’s Crusade was actually several different and disparate groups; the first was led by Peter the Hermit, the second by Walter Sans-Avoir, and the final by Count Emicho.
which group of the people’s crusade participated in pogroms along the Rhine?
the one led by Count Emicho
how did Count Emicho’s forces begin their trip on the People’s crusade?late spring-summer 1096: crusaders destroyed most of the Jewish communities along the Rhine in unprecedentedly-large pogroms
late spring-summer 1096: crusaders destroyed most of the Jewish communities along the Rhine in unprecedentedly-large pogroms
what happened in the pogroms along the Rhine perpetrated by Count Emicho’s forces in 1096?
thousands of Jews were massacred, driven to suicide, or forced to convert to Christianity
which places did the pogroms perpetrated by Count Emicho’s forces in 1096 attack?
places such as Speyer, Worms (800 murdered), Mainz (1000 murdered), Trier, Metz, Cologne
how manny people were murdered at the 1096 pogrom at Worms, by Count Emicho’s forces?
800
how manny people were murdered at the 1096 pogrom at Mainz, by Count Emicho’s forces?
1000
who were the main inciters of the 1096 pogroms along the rhine, of the people’s crusade?
The preacher Folkmar and Count Emicho of Flonheim were the main inciters
who are the main chroniclers of the 1096 pogroms along the rhine, of the people’s crusade?
The major chroniclers are Solomon bar Simson and Albert of Aachen
where did Count Emicho’s forces go after their pogroms at the Rhine, spring-summer 1096?
Army continued down Rhine until they reached the Danube, following it to Hungary
what did Count Emicho’s forces do when they reached Hungary?
after running out of money and food, they began to pillage Hungarian land
what happened to Count Emicho’s forces after pillaging Hungarian land?
much of the army was killed by Hungarians; the rest split up to join the other Crusader armies and count Emicho returned to his family where he was scorned for not fulfilling his vow to capture Jerusalem
where did Peter the Hermit gather his army, April 1096?
Cologne
when did the French contingent of the people’s crusade set off?
12 April 1096: Peter gathered his army at Cologne, planning to stop and gather more through preaching - the French were not willing to wait for Peter and the Germans so left
why didn’t the French and German contingents of the People’s crusade set off together?
Peter gathered his army at Cologne, planning to stop and gather more through preaching - the French were not willing to wait for Peter and the Germans so left
where did Walter Sans Avoir and the French reach in May 1096?
Hungary
how did Walter Sans Avoir and the French pass through Hungary and where did they go next?
passed through without incident and arriving at the river Sava at the border of Byzantine territory at Belgrade
how was Walter Sans Avoir and the French treated when they reached Belgrade in May 1096?
Belgrade commander taken by surprise - had no orders on what to do - and refused entry
what did the French under Walter Sans Avoir do when they were refused entry into Belgrade May 1096?
- pillaged the countryside for food
- crusaders had skirmishes with Belgrade garrison; 16 of Walter’s men tried to rob a market in Zemun and were stripped of their armour and clothing
why were 16 of Walter Sans Avoir’s men stripped of their armour and clothing at Zemun?
they tried to rob a market
why did the French under Walter Sans Avoir pillage the countryside around Belgrade?
Belgrade commander taken by surprise - had no orders on what to do - and refused entry
how did the French under Walter Sans Avoir travel from Belgrade to Constantinople?
- Crusaders allowed to continue to Nish and were provided with food
- Then escorted to Constantinople
how many crusaders left Cologne with Peter the Hermit in April 1096?
~40,000 crusaders left immediately, and another group followed shortly after
what happened to Peter the Hermit’s contingent of the People’s Crusade when they reached the Danube?
- When they reached the Danube, part of the army continued by boat while the main body continued overland to enter Hungary at Sopron
- Continued through Hungary without incident and rejoined Danube contingent ay Zemun in Hungary
what happened to Peter the Hermit’s contingent of the People’s Crusade when they reached Zemun?
At Zemun crusaders became suspicious (saw Walter’s 16 suits of armour hanging from the walls) and a dispute over the price of a pair of shoes led to a riot and an all-out assault on the city by the crusaders
why did Peter the Hermit’s crusaders become suspicious at Zemun?
saw Walter’s 16 suits of armour hanging from the walls
what caused a riot at Zemun under Peter the Hermit?
a dispute over the price of a pair of shoes
how many hungarians were killed at Zemun by Peter the Hermit’s troops?
4000
where did Peter the Hermit’s crusaders flee to after Zemun?
Crusaders fled across the river Sava to Belgrade after skirmishing with Belgrade troops
what did Peter the Hermit’s troops do when they reached Belgrade?
Belgrade residents fled and crusaders pillaged and burned the city
where did Peter the Hermit’s crusader reach in July 1096?
Nish
where did Peter the Hermit’s troops go after Belgrade?
3 July: reached Nish after marching for 7 days
how did Nish react to the arrival of Peter the Hermit’s troops in July 1096?
commander of Nish promised to provide escort for Peter’s army to Constantinople, and food, if he would leave immediately; Peter agreed
why were Peter the Hermit’s crusaders attacked at Nish?
some Germans got into a dispute with locals along the road and set fire to mill; eventually Nish sent out its entire garrison against the crusaders
what happened to Peter the Hermit’s forces after being attacked by Nish’s garrison in July 1096?
crusaders routed - lost 10000 (1/4) and the remainder regrouped further on at Bela Palanka
how many men did Peter the Hermit lose at Nish?
10,000
where did Peter the Hermit’s remaining men regroup afer being routed at Nish?
Bela Palanka
how did Peter the Hermit’s troops reach Constantinople from Nish
- 12 July: reached Sofia and met Byzantine escort
- 1 August: reached Constantinople
which People’s crusade armies reunited at Constantinople?
Peter the Hermit’s and Walter Sans Avoir’s
how was the People’s crusade treated once it reached Constantinople?
- Alexius I ferried all 30,000 across the Bosporus by 6 August
- Alexius warned Peter not to engage the Turks and to wait for the main body of crusaders
what did Alexius warn Peter the Hermit of at Constantinople?
Alexius warned Peter not to engage the Turks and to wait for the main body of crusaders
how many men strong was the People’s crusade by the time it left Constantinople?
30,000
what did the People’s Crusade do when it reached Asia Minor?
crusaders began to pillage towns
where did the first argument within the People’s crusade occur?
Nicomedia
what happened in the People’s Crusade’s argument at Nicomedia?
- argument between Germans and Italians vs French
- Germans and Italians split and elected new leader, Rainald
- Geoffrey Burel took control of French
- Peter had effectively lost control and much of his authority
what did the People’s crusade do after electing new leaders at Nicomedia>
Crusaders spurred each other on and moved more boldly against nearby towns
where did the French contingent of the People’s crusade go after Nicomedia?
French reached Nicaea, and pillaged the suburbs
where did the German contingent of the People’s Crusade go after Nicomedia?
Germans marched with 6000 on Xerigordon and captured the city to use as a base to raid the countryside
how many Germans under the People’s Crusade marched on Xerigordon?
6000
how did the Germans of the People’s Crusade use Xerigordon?
as a base to raid the countryside
which group recovered Xerigordon from the Germans of the People’s Crusade?
the Turks, under Kilij Arslan
what happened to the Germans besieged at Xerigordon by the Turks, under Kilij Arslan?
- crusaders forced to drink donkey blood and urine as water supply cut
- some crusaders who were captured converted to islam and were sent to Khorasan; others killed
how did the Battle of Civetot start?
- At main crusaders’ camp, 2 Turkish spies spread rumour that Germans who had Xerigordon had also taken Nicaea; excitement grew to arrive ASAP to loot
- Peter had gone back to Constantinople to arrange for supplies and was due back soon; most of the leader argued to wait for him to return
- Geoffrey Burel - popular support - argued it would be cowardly to wait
- 21 October: 20,000 strong army marched toward Nicaea, leaving women, children, old, and sick at camp
- Turkish army waiting at narrow wooded valley near village of Dracon, 3 miles from camp
- crusaders immediately subjected to hail of arrows; panicked and was routed
what was the outcome of the Battle of Civetot?
- most crusaders slaughtered; women, children, and those who surrendered were spared
- 3000, including Geoffrey Burl, obtained refuge in an abandoned castle; Byzantines under Constantine Katakalon raised the siege and the few thousand returned to Constantinople
why did the main contingent of the People’s crusade march to Nicaea in October 1096?
- At main crusaders’ camp, 2 Turkish spies spread rumour that Germans who had Xerigordon had also taken Nicaea; excitement grew to arrive ASAP to loot
- Peter had gone back to Constantinople to arrange for supplies and was due back soon; most of the leader argued to wait for him to return
- Geoffrey Burel - popular support - argued it would be cowardly to wait
why was Geoffrey Burel able to convince the People’s Crusade to march to Nicaea in October 1096?
Peter had gone back to Constantinople to arrange for supplies and was due back soon
how many men strong was the People’s crusade army that Marched to Nicaea in October 1096?
20,000
how did any of the People’s Crusade manage to escape the Battle of Civetot?
3000, including Geoffrey Burl, obtained refuge in an abandoned castle; Byzantines under Constantine Katakalon raised the siege and the few thousand returned to Constantinople
who raised the siege of the People’s Crusade in an abandoned castle, after the Battle of Civetot?
Byzantines under Constantine Katakalon
what are the 3 main theories for why the People’s Crusade failed?
- Fragmented Nature
- Lack of Military Skill and Poor Tactics
- Conflict with Others
why did the fragmented nature of the People’s crusade undermine it?
There were three large groups and they lacked co-ordination:; Peter the hermit, Walter Sans Avoir, Count Emicho.
give an example of the fragmented nature of the people’s crusade, and how it undermined it
- The parts of the People’s Crusade moved through Europe separately and there was a lack of clear leadership and co-ordination
- The French contingent was unwilling to wait for Peter or the Germans and pressed on ahead of the others.
- Parts of the crusade under Count Emicho became distracted by anti-Semitic attacks against the Jewish population of Germany; this was not what the crusade was supposed to be about and was not supported by the other leaders.
how did the fragmented nature of the people’s crusade cause problems in Anatolia?
- The different groups of the People’s Crusade argued in Anatolia (the Germans and Italians vs. French) and refused to work together.
- Rival leaders (Rainald and Geoffrey Burel) took control from Peter the Hermit in Anatolia.
give an example of how lack of military skill and poor tactics undermined the people’s crusade
- The defeat of the People’s Crusade by Byzantine forces at Nish led to a loss of 1/4 of its forces
- Elements of the crusade captured Xerigordon from the Turks but had not made preparations to defend it so were unable to do so.
- Most of the remnant of the People’s Crusade was massacred by the Turks at Civetot; the survivors from Civetot were only rescued due to Byzantine intervention.
which 2 groups did the people’s crusade fail to work with, seriously undermining their chances of success?
the Byzantines and Hungarians
how did the People’s Crusade cause conflict with the Hungarians?
- Although Walter was able to pass through Hungary without major incident, some of his men were accused of robbery and pillaging.
- Peter’s forces misunderstood the relationship with the Hungarians and came to blows with them, attacking the city of Zemun.
- Most of Emicho’s forces were destroyed by the Hungarians as they attempted to pillage the Hungarian countryside.
how did the People’s Crusade cause conflict with the Byzantines?
- The people’s crusade ended up in conflict with the Byzantines at Nish which led to a loss of 1/4 of its forces
- Peter ignored Byzantine advice (from Alexius) to wait for the rest of the First Crusade to join them in Anatolia. He pressed on and the Turks eventually massacred the crusaders.
