A Brief Comment from Anna and Me

Anna Comnena commented on the initial wave of crusaders in the Alexiad. It is interesting to see how they were regarded by someone outside their camp. She did not doubt the sincerity of Peter the Hermit, who had suffered torture when he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, or that of many of the poor people who came with him, but they were large groups including women and children who were ill equipped to fight.

She wrote that their arrival was preceded by plagues of locusts which was taken as a sign that the Kelts, as she often called them, would be as a plague to the Turks. It was quickly apparent that they would do more damage to the Christian Byzantine empire, which they attacked as often if not more than they attacked the Arabs.

She also blames much of their misfortune on their own arrogance. When Alexius told Peter to wait until the other counts arrive, Peter refused trusting in the numbers of his followers. She called the town where Peter was staying Helenopolis and not Cuiotte. She wrote that some 10,000 Normans broke off from the main group and attacked Nicaea (which was the headquarters of the Turkish Kilij Arslan) with particular cruelty. 'They cut babies to pieces, impaled some on spikes and roasted them over fires'. They tortured old people and returned to Helenopolis with booty. Then there were fights over the booty. So another group (Anna called them Normans but she often had trouble telling the foreigners apart) left for Xerigordon (Exerogogo). These were crushed by the Sultan. Kilij Arlsan then set a trap for the remainder sending spies in Helenopolis with the story that Nicaea had been taken and was being looted for all its gold. That made a crowd run out of Helenopolis to be slaughtered by the Turks. Considering that Peter complained in Gesta Francorum that his people would not listen to him, I think we can consider this a fact. Only Anna writes that Peter was with the handful of survivors that made it back to Helenopolis and that Alexis thought it would be a shame if the Sultan captured him and sent Constantine Euphorbenus Catacalon to rescue him and bring him back to Constantinople.

The Crusaders did not behave well in Constantinople, raiding Christian outskirts and rioting when Alexis granted them a 'market' as a courtesy. Small wonder that he took their weapons away when they returned. Some of the Crusaders were, as Anna says, opportunists and brigands who were not interested in liberating the Holy Land as much as they were interested in empire and booty. Okay enough from me and Anna, back to our story.

Deeds of the Franks, Book One, Chapter Two, cont.

Our men were afflicted with such a great thirst that they drained the blood from their own horses and donkeys and drank their blood. Others were letting down belts/girdles and bits of cloth into the fish pond and then squeezing out the water into their mouth. Others were urinating into their cupped hands and drinking it. Others were digging in the damp earth, and were laying themselves down, and spreading the mud over their own chests so that they would not be so dry from thirst. Our priests and bishops were strengthened much by the Truth and were reminding men not to desert. This trial went on for eight days. Then the leader of the Alamanni(Germans) made an agreement with the Turks, that he would hand over his allies, and arranging to go out to fight, he fled to them(Turks) and many men with him. However, those who were unwilling to deny God received the death penalty. Others who had been captured alive had been one by one divided like sheep. The Turks set some of the men up as targets and were shooting arrows at them. They were selling other men and were giving men away just as if they were animals. Certain men were collecting men in their own home, they sent others to Khorasan, others to Antioch, other to Aleph or where they themselves were living. These men were the first to receive the happy martyrdom in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Then, the Turks, hearing that Peter the Hermit and Walter the Penniless were in Cyuito(Kibotos), a city north of Nicea, came there with great joy that they might kill those men and others who were with them. And when they had come, they encountered Walter with his men and soon killed him. Peter the Hermit a little while before this had gone to Constantinople, on account that he was unable to keep the men from going different ways, who were not willing to heed his words or himself. Truly, rushing in, the Turks killed many besides those men that the Turks found, others sleeping or nude. They killed all of these with any they found celebrating the sacred mass, who had been immediately martyred and sent above to the high altar. Those men, who had been able to get out, fled Cyuito. Other men threw themselves into the sea, others were hiding in the woods and the mountains. The Turks pursued those that were united into a fort made of wood so that they could burn those men along with the fort.

Therefore the Christians who were in the fort gathered up burning wood and fired it back at the Turks and their own fire send back consumed those same Turks but from that fire, God then freed our men. Then the Turks captured those left alive and divided up those men just as they had done before with the others and dispersed them through all these regions, some to Corosanum, other went to Persia.

All this had been done in the month of October. The emperor, hearing that the Turks had thus scattered our men, greatly rejoiced, decreed and arranged for those to be brought back across the strait. After they arrived on the other side, all weapons were taken from them.

Deeds of the Franks, Book One, Chapter Two

This really should be annotated but that would be an even larger task. I am keeping the translation literal as well. Perhaps I will put it together in order when it is all done.

In a word, the Gauls made up three parties. One group of Franks penetrated into the region of Hungary, of course this was Peter the Hermit, Duke Godfrey, his brother Baldwin, and Baldwin an associate from the mountain. These most important soldiers and others besides unknowing had come along the road that Charles the Great (Charlemagne), the wonderful king of the Franks, had caused to be built long ago all the way to Constantinople.

Peter speaking the truth came to Constantinople on the first of August and with him came the greatest part of the Alamanni. There they found the Lombards and Longobards and many other assembled, who the emperor had ordered to be given a 'market', as a courtesy, and he said to them, "Do not pass over the strait until the greatest strength of Christians has come, since you are not so many that you would prevail in battle with the Turks."

The Christians were wickedly misled by themselves because they were overwhelming the palace of the city and were burning and were firing lead shot by which they overwhelmed the assembly of the Greeks and betrayed them. Then the emperor was angry and ordered them to pass over strait. After they had crossed the sea, they did not cease to stir up all manner of bad things, ruining and devastating homes and churches. At last they came to Nicomedia, when they separated into two groups, the Lombards, the Longobards and the Alamanni from the Franks, because the Frank were swelling up with arrogance. The Lombards and the Longobards chose the senior from among themselves, who was named Rainold. The Alamanni did the same. They went into Romania and after four days arrived outside the city of Nice. They had found a fortified town which was named Exerogorgo(called by Anna Xerigordon) which had been emptied of people. They took ahold of this fort, in which they had found enough grain, wine and meat and an abundance of good things. Hearing that the Christians were at this fort, the Turks came and lay siege. Before the gate of the fort was a well and at the base of the fort was a lively fountain, to which Rainold withdrew beside, plotting against the Turks.

The Turks arriving on the true feast of Saint Micheal found Rainald and those with whom he was. The Turks slew many of these. Others fled into the fort, which the Turks immediately beseiged and cut off the water from.

to be continued tomorrow.

Deeds of the Franks, Book One, Section One

The following is my own translation of the text from Latin Library:

When now that time approached, for which the Lord Jesus had daily shown his own acts of faiths, especially by evangelizing saying, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny disagreement and let him take up his own cross and follow me", there had been thereafter a strong movement throughout the entire regions of the Gauls. If anyone would desire to follow God zealously with a pure heart and mind, and he wished to bear his own cross faithfully, let him not be lazy to quickly take the road of the Sacred Sepulcher. The apostle of the Roman seat set out the sooner the better over the mountainous parts and, with his archbishops, overseers, Abbots and priests, he began plainly to lecture and foretell, saying that if any man wished to save his own soul, he should not be in doubt to humbly begin on the way of the Lord, and, if he lacked an abundance of money, he would give enough in excellent mercy. For the lord apostle said , "Brothers, it is proper for you to endure many things in the name of the Annointed One, clearly poverty, exposure, persecution, want, sickness, hunger, thirst and other wretchedness of this kind just as the Lord said to his disciples:'It is proper to you to endure much on behalf of my name', and 'Do not be ashamed to speak before the faces of men; I will give to you the voice and eloquence to speak the truth.', and after this 'Abundance will follow you in repayment'." And, when this sermon began to gain strength little by little across all the regions and homelands of the Gauls, the Franks, hearing this, on the spot stitched together such a cross on their right shoulder, saying unanimously they would follow the footsteps of the Annointed One, by whom personally the infernal regions had been redeemed. At this time now, the Gauls are far from their homes.