Peter the Hermit was a priest in Northern France and a prominent figure during the First Crusade. He led of the five sections of the People's Crusade to their destination, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, but their arrival was met with displeasure from the Eastern Roman Emperor, as many of those travelling were hungry and poor. Peter tried to organize the shipment of his followers to the Holy Land, but in the meantime the Emperor could not provide for so many new arrivals, who pilfered food and caused disorder in the camp. At last, the People's Crusade was shipped to an area just outside Turkish rule, with promise of guards and safe passage, but the pilgrims refused to wait and instead went unarmed into enemy territory, where they were robbed and attacked. Peter fled to Constantinople, seeking assistance once more. During his absence, the Turks killed many of the retreating crusaders, and those survivors who completed the return journey to Constantinople fervently awaited armed support.
When help arrived at last, Peter joined them as a member of council, and the remaining troops marched through Asia Minor and into Jerusalem. While his ranks were never again their original size, Peter was able to enlist many injured and bankrupt crusaders sympathetic to their cause. His position, however, was clearly diminished, and he played only a minor role in subsequent battles, until a rousing speech inspired a crushing victory at Antioch. Peter then went on to become treasurer of the alms at the seige of Arqa and the following Battle of Ascalon before sailing westward and disappearing from history until his believed death in 1115.
Many stories surround Peter's preaching of the First Crusade; several historians of that time believed him to be its prime instigator, and tales spread concerning a believed encounter between the hermit and Jesus Christ in the Chruch of the Holy Sepulchre, during which the latter bade him to promote the Cruades in His name.
Born. | |
Led 40,000 members of the People's Crusade from Cologne to Constantinople. | |
The People's Crusade was shipped to the Asiatic shore but was forced to retreat when Turkish enemies attacked. | |
Joined the Emperor's ranks as a member of council. | |
Seige of Antioch. | |
Served as treasurer of the alms at the seige of Arqa. | |
Went to Latakia, and from there sailed for the West. | |
Died while serving as prior of a church that he had founded in France. |
Peter the Hermit in | The Crusaders by Alfred J. Church |
Peter the Hermit in | Old Time Tales by Lawton B. Evans |
Peter the Hermit in | Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. Haaren |
First Crusade in | The Story of the Middle Ages by Samuel B. Harding |
How Peter Preached of Jerusalem in | Stories from the Crusades by Janet Harvey Kelman |
Godfrey, A Knight of the Crusades in | Page, Esquire, and Knight by Marion Florence Lansing |
Beginning of the Crusades in | The Story of Europe by Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall |
Peter the Hermit in | Historical Tales: French by Charles Morris |
Peter the Hermit Leads the First Crusade in | European Hero Stories by Eva March Tappan |
Story of Peter the Hermit in | The Story of the Crusades by by E. M. Wilmot-Butxton |
Image Links | ||
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Peter the Hermit in Stories from German History |
Peter the Hermit preaching the Crusades in The Story of Old France |
Peter the Hermit preaching the first crusade in Famous Men of the Middle Ages |
Peter set off with an unruly band of men in Stories from the Crusades |
Peter held a lance-head high in the air in Stories from the Crusades |
Often he was to be seen riding upon an ass in The Story of France |
Peter the Hermit Preaching in European Hero Stories |
Tancred | Leader of the first Crusade who eventually became regent of Antioch and Galilee. |
Conrad III | First Hohenstaufen king of Germany. Involved in Guelph/Ghibelline struggle and also second crusade. |