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The PugJesus renaissance is over. We have to use Google now.
I volunteer for tribute.
My memory is a bit hazy, but I was told to study the children’s crusade specifically to lead the next children’s crusade. Those were my mom’s exact words and intent.
Well here is the story of the Children’s Crusade.
There are two conflicting accounts although both could have happened. Year of 1212 give or take.
What’s agreed on is the following.
A Shepard boy claimed Jesus called him to lead a crusade. He was convincing. Enough to get an army of about 30,000. So they marched from France or Germany with 30,000 kids and a small number of adults. A lot of kids died making the trip. First casualties of the Crusade.
Only 7,000 remained once they reached a port on the Mediterranean Sea. The rest either died or went home.
This whole time 30,000 kids believed that the Mediterranean would split like the Red Sea. When it didn’t the surviving 7000 lost more troops as kids went home disappointed, settled down to live in the fishing village or something else with their life’s.
The crusade moved on until they found a couple ships willing to take them to Jerusalem. This is where the Children’s Crusade ends. The remaining children were tricked and sold into slavery, or died in a shipwreck.
A different account says the Shepard boy went home in disgrace and died on the way home.
Total result: 30,000 kids and adults wasted their lives following a child.
There are more records of various followers making it to other cities and ports. But no report of anyone from the Children’s Crusade making it to Jerusalem.
Don’t hold your breath, friendo. Grump has 1700+ posts but a little over a 100 comments.
but why… WHY…
WHY WAS IT THE WORST CRUSADE??
The assumption would be that children don’t do well against swords and arrows. Though they’re probably harder to hit
Sources are few in numbers, many of the existing ones are not considered reliable, there is a lot of mythologicalisation (is that a word? Mythification? Something like that, it’s clouded in myths) around the “crusade”, but what can be reconstructed from the few sources that are considered contemporary no participant actually made it to the Holy Land.
A cologne chronic reports many “crusaders” died from thirst and starvation before even reaching the alps, then the trek reached Genua where a promised parting of the sea (yes, it was promised to happen just like in the bible, apparently) did not occur. From there, many turned to Rome and the Pope to be freed from their oath, others tried to board ships to Palestine, however only a few were successful and those who were were sold into slavery.Not much of a crusade, not a lot of sources (and none from participants), a lot of conflations with other events (like children’s pilgrimages to Mont Saint Michel) and myths (like the Piper of Hamelin), etc.
But most certainly no sword and arrow action in the Holy Land.
Because it was led by literal children. 30,000 some adults, ect. Never fought a battle but the survivors were sold into slavery. There is no good ending to any Crusade. I have a longer answer under the “well we are waiting” gif.
Because they’re just a reddit reposter.
Summary from Wikipedia: It wasn’t an actual crusade, and may or may not have included actual children. If it did, they either died or got sold into slavery.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children's_Crusade#Historiography
Fun story: when Robert I died he asked one of his knights to take his heart on a crusade (apparently people did things like that back then). So the knight, Sir James Douglas, took king’s heart, put in a box and went looking for a fight with Muslims. It was 1330 and Alfonso XI of Castile was preparing a war against kingdom of Granada. Douglas sailed to Seville, join Spanish forces and died in battle of Teba.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Douglas,_Lord_of_Douglas#Final_campaign
I find the idea of Scottish knights fighting Muslims with Spaniards fascinating. Even today there are big cultural differences between European countries. What was it like 700 years ago?
