Peter the Hermit
Also known as Cucu Peter, Little Peter or Peter of Amiens, Peter the Hermit is considered one of the main instigators of the First Crusade.
Peter the Hermit may have visited the Holy Land in 1093, but it wasn't until after Pope Urban II made his speech in 1095 that he began a tour of France and Germany, preaching the merits of crusade as he went. Peter's speeches appealed not only to trained knights, who usually followed their princes and kings on crusade, but to laborers, tradesmen and peasants. It was these untrained and disorganized folk who followed Peter the Hermit most eagerly to Constantinople in what became known as "The People's Crusade" or "The Crusade of the Poor People."
In spring of 1096 Peter the Hermit and his followers left Europe for Constantinople, then moved on to Nicomedia in August. But, as an inexperienced leader, Peter had trouble maintaining discipline among his unruly troops, and he returned to Constantinople to seek assistance from Byzantine Emperor Alexius. While he was gone the bulk of Peter's forces was slaughtered by the Turks at Civetot.
Disheartened, Peter almost returned home. Eventually, however, he made his way to Jerusalem, and just before the city was stormed he preached a sermon on the Mount of Olives. A few years after the capture of Jersualem, Peter the Hermit returned to France, where he established an Augustinian monastery at Neufmoustier.
Important Dates
Disaster at Civetot: Oct. 21, 1096
Died: July 8, 1115
At About
Ill-Fated Crusade of the Poor People
This 5-page article by J. Arthur McFall originally appeared in Military History Magazine and is now online here at the Medieval History site.
On the Web
Catholic Encyclopedia: Peter the Hermit
Concise biography by Louis Brehier.Peter the Hermit
Heavily-hyperlinked biography at Wikipedia.Peter the Hermit, a priest of Amiens
This segment from the 1911 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica unfortunately suffers from uncorrected scanning errors.
Primary Sources
Peter the Hermit and the Popular Crusade: Collected Accounts
Collection of documents taken from August. C. Krey's 1921 publication, The First Crusade: The Accounts of Eyewitnesses and Participants.
Related Resources
The First Crusade
Sites that focus on the first Crusade of the 11th century and examine events connected with it.
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