On October 21, 1096, a Seljuk Turk army led by Sultan Kilij Arslan I massacred a Christian army from Europe, known as the People’s Army, ending the first of the religious wars known as the Crusades. This particular “Crusade” is not considered an “official Crusade,” a distinction reserved for the Catholic Church sanctioned invasion of the Middle East (i.e., Holy Land) a year later.
Digging Deeper
The so called “People’s Crusade,” “Popular Crusade,” “Peasants’ Crusade” or “Paupers’ Crusade” was the work of a charismatic French monk called Peter the Hermit. In keeping with the multiple names theme, Peter was also known as “Little Peter” or “Peter of Amiens.” Just to complicate the name business even more, it is possible Peter’s real name was something like Pierre L’Ermite or Pierre L’Hermite. Some scholars believe Peter may have been Dutch and not French. Dressed in rough, simple clothes and riding a donkey, Peter had once attempted a pilgrimage to Jerusalem but was stopped by the Turks. The prevention of his travel may have given him incentive to lead a Christian Crusade to return the Holy Land to Christendom.
