376 



CRUSADES. 



Crusades, to be clearer! of rubbish, inclosed those of the most hal- 

 *— -7— ' lowed sanctity, within the walls of a spacious church. 

 In the latter days of the empire, the decay of reason, 

 which had kept pace with the decline of knowledge, 

 made way for that superstition, which transfers its feel- 

 ings to the material objects with which they are associa- 

 ted, 2nd a strong desire was consequently felt by the 

 ignorant and zealous Christians, to visit the scenes 

 which were so often in their thoughts. What was at 

 first the indulgence of a sentiment, appeared at last the 

 execution of a duty ; and pilgrimages to Palestine be- 

 came a frequent, because an applauded practice through 

 the whole of Christendom. In 637, Jerusalem was con- 

 quered by the Saracens, whom interest induced to con- 

 tinue to the pilgrims a peaceable reception ; but this 

 ceased to be the case, when the Turks, in 1065, got 

 possession of the holy city. That wild and ferocious 

 tribe, though superior in force, were inferior in civility 

 to the Saracens of Arabia, and made so little scruple to 

 plunder and insult their Christian visitors, that the 

 dangers of pilgrimage, painted in the most terrific co- 

 lours, by those who returned from them, began to 

 threaten a discontinuance of this sacred duty. In 

 Europe, at that period, the minds of men were in a 

 state most favourable to be powerfully agitated by tales 

 of outrage, heightened by the impiety of its perpetra- 

 tors. They were in that stage of intellectual childhood, 

 when passion, prevailing over reason, receives with 

 eagerness every thing that is strange or dreadful, and 

 under the force of its impressions, favours the introduc- 

 tion of the most extravagant opinions. Ignorance was 

 so universal, that the slender knowledge possessed by 

 the clergy enabled them to command a veneration, and 

 acquire an influence, which they did not fail in convert- 

 ing to their own advantage. For this they had a temp- 

 ting opportunity, the system of civil government being 

 then as imperfect as that of spiritual tyranny was com- 

 plete. Under the feudal system, every Baron was a 

 petty prince, who acknowledged but a slight allegiance 

 to the sovereign ; and, like the members of the German 

 empire, in our own day, granted or withheld his mili- 

 tary services, at his own pleasure. In addition, there- 

 fore, to the wars of nations, the wars of districts were 

 incessant ; and the general character, being a compound 

 of turbulence, animosity, and ignorance, was a desire- 

 able subject for the successful application of supersti- 

 tious terrors, by winch it could be persuaded into any 

 sacrifice however great, or roused to any enterprise 

 however perilous. At this period, the papal authority 

 was in its plenitude; and kings, like their subjects, 

 were enslaved to the superior craft of the priesthood. 

 The Roman empire of the East still protracted its feeble 

 existence at. Constantinople ; but all its Asiatic pro- 

 vinces had fallen under the dominion of the Saracen 

 Caliph, or rather of the Turkish Sultan, who exercised 

 the sovereignty in the character of his delegate. 



In this state of things, an ecclesiastic of Amiens, who 

 was afterwards celebrated by the name of Peter the 

 Hermit, returned from Palestine, after suffering exac- 

 tions and injuries, which he described, at Rome, with 

 such inflammatory pathos, as to awaken the pity, or ra- 

 ther the ambition, of the sovereign Pontiff. Urban II. 

 like his predecessors in the chair, had long cherished a 

 design of repelling the encroachments of Mohammedism, 

 by the arms of Christendom, and thought the eloquence 

 of Peter might be employed as an instrument to gain 

 the co-operation of the European princes. He sent 

 him, therefore, into the different states of Italy and 



France, where, in sermons, he told his piteous tale with Cm 

 such effect, as drew to his harangues auditors of every > °~~ 

 rank and of incalculable number. After this prepara- 

 tion of public feeling, Urban assembled a general coun- 

 cil at Placentia, which was attended by 4000 clergy 

 and 30,000 laymen, and at which the project of invad- 

 ing Palestine was applauded by all ; but the frenzy of 

 the Italian barons was not yet wrought up to such a 

 pitch as seduced any one to embark in it. The experi- 

 ment was, therefore, repeated ; and in a council at Cler- 

 mont, the superior ardour and impetuosity of the French 

 were shewn by then promptness, not merely to applaud, 

 but to enlist in an expedition, which would both give 

 them an opportunity of signalizing their prowess, and 

 indulging, their taste for adventure, and would likewise 

 purchase for the young nobility a papal pardon of the 

 numerous sins with- which they were burthened by ha- 

 bitual dissipation. On this occasion, the Pope himself 

 was the preacher, and spoke with such animating effect, 

 that his harangue was interrupted by unanimous shouts 

 from the multitude of " God wills it — God wills it I" 

 His holiness then intimated, that the cross should be the 

 badge of the combatants. This figure was accordingly 

 worn upon their shoulders, and the expedition was 

 named a croisadc. A crowd of all descriptions enrolled 

 themselves under the banner of Peter the Hermit, who 

 placed himself at the head of 80,000 recruits, with 

 sandals on his feet, and a rope round his middle. The 

 1 5th of August, 1096, was fixed for beginning their 

 march, but to the impatient spirit of the zealot army, 

 the day appeared too distant ; and 60,000 of them set 

 out from the borders of France and Germany, early in 

 spring, under the guidance of Peter, whom they had 

 compelled to this precipitation of the measure. These 

 were followed by another band of 15 or 20 thousand; 

 and in the rear of all, came a mob of 200,000, who ex- 

 hibited in their conduct the most singular extremes of 

 fanaticism and vice, The Jews of Germany were their 

 first victims ; but their outrages in Hungary and Bul- 

 garia drew upon them a severe retaliation from the in- 

 habitants, and not more than a third part of this un- 

 disciplined multitude escaped, with Peter, to Constan- 

 tinople, where then- succour against the Turks was 

 eagerly expected by the Emperor. Tired, however, 

 with their depredations, he persuaded them to proceed 

 into Asia, where they were met by Sultan Solyman, 

 and almost totally destroyed on the plain of Nice ; Peter 

 himself and a slender remnant of his frantic host being 

 all that returned to the Byzantine capital. 



But though this premature and infatuated swarm of 

 crusaders was thus swept away, the most valuable part 

 of the expedition was still in reserve. Godfrey of 

 Bouillon, Hugh of Vermandois, Raymond of Tholouse, 

 Bohemond and Tancred, with many more of the minor 

 European princes, had, by the sale of their domains, 

 assembled regular and well-appointed armies, which, 

 after the pope had declined an invitation to head them, 

 marched -at the appointed time towards Constantino- 

 ple. These new guests, though somewhat less uncivi- 

 lized than their brutal precursors, were still extremely 

 troublesome to the Greek emperor. By flattery and ad- 

 dress, however, he prevailed on them to pass the Bos- 

 phorus; and when reviewed in the neighbourhood 

 of Nice, they amounted to 100,000 horse, and 600,000 

 foot, among whom the women and followers were in- 

 cluded. Provisions for this crowd were supplied by 

 the maritime towns of Italy ; and Genoa was indebted 

 for its subsequent importance, to the wealth acquired 



