People's peasants crusade

People's peasants crusade

1. Jewish perspective

   • Peasants attacked wealthy Jewish communities who were seen as 'infidels' on a par with Muslims
     • Speyer, Mainz,Treyer and Cologne
     • Many were either slaughtered or committed suicide to avoid forced conversion in the towns Mainz, Worms and Prague
       • 1000 killed themselves
         • Prague
     • Not part of Urbans aim
     • Motivations were greed and revenge

2. Muslim perspective

   • In July 1096 KiliJ Arslan learned that 1000 of Franks were approaching constantinople
     • He was confused by the picture painted by the informants as there were thousands of women and children in rags
       • Aug they crossed for the Borsphorus
         • Sept they took Xerigordon
           • trapped as water supplies lay outside and Franks sealed off access to the water
             • Arslan expected the Franks at Civot to come to their aid and so set a trap
               • At Dawn 21st Oct 1096 the franks left their camp
                 • Captured, many were sold to the slave market, others were exterminated
   • Due to Failure of the Peasants Crusade
     • Arslan ignored the information about the arrival of a fresh group of Franks from Constantinople
       • Went to east to fight Damishmeds

3. Byzantium prespective

   • Alexius was expecting for a body of Frankish mercenaries
     • But got 'beyond what he could have expected' tens of thousands of strong warriors and noncobatants, men and woman, rich and poor
       • highly motivated by glory
       • Fired by tireless preaching at the papal and popular levels bound by oaths of devotion and fealty
         • Massive impact of Alexius' letter

4. Christian perspective

   • Poorly coordinated and undisciplined
     • Had to live off the land they passed through
       • The Danube region and the Balklans were looted as a result of this
     • The armies met outside Constantinople and Alexius had to act due to plundering
       • He ferried them off to the Bosphurus in Aug 1096
         • resulted in the massacre of half the people's crusade, mostly composed of German and Italian at Ncea
           • The other half,mostly French, were decoyed into an ambush and slaughtered
             • NO ONE made it to the holy land
           • Peter the Hermit was absent when they got destroyed

5. Forgot to add

   • After sailing through the Bosphorus Peter pleased that they wait for main crusading army.
     • He was ignored
       • Crusading army divided into two groups.
         • German
           • Avoided the city of Nicea and occupied the fortress of Xerigordan
             • Turkish army caught up with them
               • All who were unwilling to convert to Muslim were massacred
                 • Surviving Crusaders regrouped at Civot under the leadership of Geoffrey Burel
                   • Two hours later they were ambushed and destroyed by Kilij
         • Mixed German and Italian
           • Elected Rainault as their leader
             • Marched to Nicea
               • They were destroyed by Kilij Arslan