| An excellent primary source for the First Crusade is | | | | Leiningen, Swabians, under count Hartmann of |
| Fulcher of Chartres. He set out in October 1096 in | | | | Dillingen, and even Crusaders from France, England |
| the entourage of Stephen, count of Blois. In his | | | | and Flanders. Certainly no rabble, they were led by |
| Historia Hierosolymitana, he describes some of the | | | | Drogo of Nesle and William the Carpenter. |
| characters along the way, their leaders, and some of | | | | The question that resounds down the centuries is |
| the events. | | | | why? Why were the Jews singled out for this terrible |
| Robert, duke of Normandy decided to go, mainly at | | | | slaughter? Albert of Aachen suggests a judgment |
| Pope Urban's prompting, and to raise money for his | | | | from God, deluding the minds of the Crusaders, but |
| expedition, he pawned his duchy to William Rufus. | | | | greed was certainly one of the motives. Some of the |
| Rufus, in turn, raised the money through crippling | | | | pilgrims were in dire need of supplies, which drove |
| taxes. Clerics were forced to strip gold and silver off | | | | them to follow these murderers. Other contemporary |
| the caskets of saints, hand over silver crucifixes and | | | | writers felt that there was little point in going all the |
| melt down chalices to give to the king. | | | | way to Jerusalem to fight the enemies of Christ, |
| Normandy's price was 10,000 marks, which took a | | | | when the Jews were on the doorstep and had been |
| great deal of finding. Rufus had no qualms about | | | | responsible for His Crucifixion. These, however, are |
| despoiling religious houses. He was no friend of the | | | | mere excuses. |
| church. | | | | It was bloodlust, pure and simple. Emicho was known |
| We're told that Hugh of Vermondois, Philip the First's | | | | to have no love for the Jews. He waited in Mainz for |
| brother, was the first to make his way across the | | | | the arrival of the other pilgrims. The Jews of Mainz, |
| Adriatic in August of 1096. Foolishly, he allowed his | | | | however, put their trust in bishop Ruothard. They |
| army to spread out and found himself captured by | | | | gave him their priceless treasures to hold for them, |
| the citizens of Durazzo in Bulgaria. Thence he was | | | | and he settled them in the huge hall of his home. This |
| taken to the Emperor of Constantinople, Alexius the | | | | failed to stop Emicho. |
| First, Comnenus. He had a daughter, Anna, another | | | | One Salomon bar Simson describes the awful |
| excellent source of information, and we shall hear | | | | massacre that took place when the pilgrims broke in |
| more of her later. | | | | to the bishop's residence. No mercy was shown to |
| Now, though, we should stop and turn to Albert of | | | | anyone. Men, pregnant women, who had their babies |
| Aachen who, although he was writing after 1100, | | | | cut from them, babes in arms, who were roasted on |
| nevertheless tells of one of the most terrible | | | | spits, men decapitated. Nothing was too base for |
| episodes of the whole Crusade. The Jewish pogrom. | | | | these people to attempt. |
| Now, these frightful massacres were not the work | | | | And so it was in all the cities mentioned. Jews were |
| of mindless rabble. There were knights among them | | | | told that if they converted to Christianity, they'd be |
| of otherwise good standing, who were just as guilty | | | | spared. Notwithstanding that forced conversions |
| as the rest. But the actions were essentially German. | | | | were strictly against canon law. |
| The citizens of Cologne were the first to perpetrate | | | | To their horror, the Jews saw that all the soldiers |
| this horror. | | | | who had been supposed to guard them had fled, |
| A small band of Jews was suddenly attacked, many | | | | along with the bishop. They were all herded into the |
| were decapitated, their homes and synagogues | | | | courtyard of his house and there slaughtered to a |
| destroyed and a large sum of money looted from | | | | man. |
| them. From there, the ravishings spread to the cities | | | | Some had taken refuge in upper rooms, but each |
| of the Rhineland. Speyer, Worms, Mainz, and Trier. | | | | killed the other, rather than be taken by the pilgrims. |
| One of the largest groups gathered in Mainz. | | | | Women killed their children and babies, and then |
| They were Germans led by Emicho, count of | | | | themselves. |