In Sept/Oct 1096 the People’s Crusade
collapsed; the ill-disciplined first wave was
crushed by Kilij Arslan as it crossed into
Muslim territory near Nicaea.
lack of unity
The immediate cause of collapse was
lack of unity between the French,
German and Italian contingents and
the poor leadership qualities of Peter
the Hermit, Geoffrey Burel and
Rainaldo.
This allowed Kilij
Arslan to crush the
different groups at
Xerigordon and
Civetot.
Peter the Hermit was to blame
Peter the Hermit was a charismatic
preacher, he lacked the skills in organisation
required to lead the crusade.
He led tens of thousands of
pilgrims enthused with crusader
zeal in 1096 before the official
departure date.
Without supplies or the protection of princes, his rag-tag
army with a limited number of knights lacked the military skill
of the second wave.
His failings as a leader were clear at Constantinople
Emperor Alexius advised Peter to tell his
followers that they should wait for the arrival of
the official crusade. However, Peter could not
persuade his followers and his plea for caution
was ignored.
Poor planning
Raiding and pillaging for supplies
antagonised key figures such as the King of
Hungary; at Nish over 10,000 died in riots,
while at Belgrade ‘the rag-tag army ran
amok.’
Lack of discipline
Above all, indiscipline led to failure.
Long-term, three different armies of
the People’s Crusade led by Emich,
Folmar and Gottshalk failed to even
make it as far as Byzantine territory
as they were crushed by Hungarian
troops.
As McFall has noted: ‘Strong in religious
fervor but weak in leadership and
discipline, the First Crusade got off to a
wretched start.’
“The consequences of Thomas Becket's death were a victory for King Henry II.” Assess the validity of this view with reference to the years 1170 to 1179. (45 marks)