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                                                         The Children's Crusade
In the spring of 1212 A.D., in the middle of a field near Cloyes, France, a boy of twelve years old named Stephen was caring for his sheep. One evening a stranger approached. The man spoke to Stephen, and Stephen answered. As they talked, Stephen suddenly recognized the man. Stephen knew that he was Jesus. Jesus explained that the crusades had failed because the hearts of the crusaders were impure. Jesus told Stephen that he should lead a new crusade, one fought by the most pure of believers, a crusade of children. Jesus promised Stephen that his crusade would succeed, he told him that the waters of the Mediterranean Sea would divide so they could cross to the Holy Land .
 This map shows some of the important places in the story.
 We know little about Stephen except that he was tall, thin, with bright blue eyes, and bushy brown hair.He walked barefoot and dressed in rags. He was an orphan whose parents died in an epidemic ( a widespread disease that killed many) when Stephen was about 5 years old.
    In the Middle Ages there were thousands of orphan children who had no place to go and no one to care for them. Some were taken in by monasteries, some like Stephen worked as shepherds or farmhands in exchange for their meals and a place to sleep. But most of the children wandered around, begging, stealing, sleeping in fields, and dying of hunger and disease.
Inspired by his vision, Stephen went on to the town of Saint-Denis. There in the streets, Stephen began to tell his story to anyone who would listen. His words had a profound effect. Large crowds gathered and listened, having no problem believing that past crusades had been spoiled by impure hearts. They found the vision reasonable. Good children might succeed where bad adults had failed.
         Stephen spoke with such passion and strength that people began to tell legends about him. One writer who saw Stephen preaching wrote that the boy healed the sick and performed other miracles. Many people began to believe that Stephen was a true prophet- someone who speaks the words of God.
 NICHOLAS
        When travelers to Saint -Denis returned home, they told others about Stephen of Cloyes and his amazing vision. Word of Stephen's crusade spread quickly throughout Europe. In faraway towns, young leaders convinced other children to join this crusade. One such leader was a twelve-year-old German boy named Nicholas. But instead of leading his followers to Saint-Denis to join Stephen's army, as most other young leaders did, Nicholas decided to form a separate army and leave for the Holy Land from Germany. Unlike Stephen, Nicholas came from a family of wealthy farmers . His father encouraged Nicholas to become a miraculous prophet leading others to the Holy Land . ( Nicholas is thought  to have been the "Pied Piper of Hamelin" - so effective a leader, that in the town of Hamelin, Germany he agreed to lead all the rats out of the city for a sum of money. When the citizens refused to pay him he then led all the children out of the city by playing his sweet music from a flute. The children never returned !) Nicholas, too, claimed to have had a vision. One still night, Nicholas said, he looked up at the stars twinkling above him and noticed a strange light in the sky. The light grew brighter, forming a distinct shape - the shape of a cross. A voice spoke from the light, telling Nicholas to lead a crusade of children to the Holy Land. The voice repeated the promise made to Stephen: "as the children approached the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, the waters would divide in front of them, allowing safe passage to the other side. When the children reached Jerusalem, the holy city would be delivered into their hands."
 THE BONES OF THE MAGI
              Nicholas traveled to the city of Cologne, an important religious city in Germany, to convince children to join his crusade. Like the cathedral in Saint-Denis, the cathedral in Cologne contained an important relic (a holy object such as a bone of a holy person or a piece of the cross). Within its thick, stone walls was a small box that Christians believed contained the bones of the Magi ( the three kings from the East who had visited the baby Jesus shortly after his birth). Travelers called "pilgrims"  came to Cologne from all over Europe to pray before the bones of three men who had once looked upon their savior.
       Nicholas preached to the pilgrims and others who visited the cathedral in Cologne. His message was different from Stephen's in one important detail. According to Nicholas, the voice from the sky not only promised success but it also described how the success would be achieved. Nicholas said that God would make the Muslims who control the Holy Land afraid when they saw the army of children, and the Muslims would convert to Christianity . His message of a peaceful victory was a welcome contrast to the slaughter of the earlier crusades.
                                                 CHILDREN FLOCK TO JOIN
Children across Europe began to come to Saint-Denis and Cologne to follow the young leaders in their holy crusade. Twenty thousand German children came to Cologne in one month. Fifteen thousand children came to Paris; " none were more than twelve years of age."
Most of the young crusaders were the children of serfs (peasants), but a few noble children also decided to make the journey. Many of the noble children were squires, young men in training to become knights. They viewed Stephen's call as a chance to perform heroic deeds. The crusade also attracted a large number of young girls. A few adults, mostly priests and nuns, also joined the movement.
   Many parents allowed their children to join the crusade because they believed Stephen and Nicholas. These faithful Christian parents felt honored that God wanted their children to take part in this miracle. As a writer in a German town put it, " Many thought all this was happening not because of foolishness, but because God had inspired them."
   But some poor parents were happy to see their children join the crusade, because that meant that they would have fewer mouths to feed. They hoped that when their children returned from the Holy Land they would be old enough to leave home for good.
Other parents were against the children's crusade. They felt that the visions of the shepherds' were not real, and they feared that Stephen and Nicholas would lead their children straight into danger. 

Many parents refused to allow their children to join the 
crusade, but this did not always stop the young ones. 
One writer wrote: " The children left their mothers
and fathers, their nurses and all their friends,
singing just like Stephen. Bolted doors could not 
keep them in, nor could their parents call them back."
    As the number of children grew, Stephen told his followers to gather at the city of Vendome. Vendome was located on a fine Roman road that led to the port of Marseilles, France, and it was an ideal place to begin sailing across the Mediterranean Sea. Stephen sent other young leaders to the towns around France to raise an even larger army. By June 1212 , 30,000 children had gathered in Vendome.
Nicholas Starts
 While Stephen was raising his army, Nicholas and his followers began their long march from Germany to the sea. They left Cologne in late June. Hoping to attract more children along the way, the army split into 2 groups, Nicholas led a group of about 10,000 children south along the Rhine River. An unknown leader led another 10,000 children eastward to the Danube River.
            Most of the German children wore peasants clothes- long gray coats and wide hats. Many carried walking sticks called Palmer's staffs. Often, the children sewed a red cross onto the fronts of their coats, like those the adult Crusaders had worn, or onto their sleeves. The wealthier children wore shoes or boots, while the poorer ones went barefoot. Some children of noble birth rode horses, but the almost everybody walked.
            In late July 1212 , Stephen's army began to move through France. Like the German children, most of the French children walked. Stephen himself rode at the front in a brightly decorated cart dressed in splendid clothing given to him by wealthy admirers.Noble boys and girls rode with him on horseback. By this time, the boy was considered so holy that his followers called him "Saint Stephen" and often plucked hairs from his horse to keep as holy relics and charms against evil.
 Holding their banners aloft and singing as they marched, the children made a strong impression everywhere they went. One writer wrote, " It seemed that since innocent children were coming together of their own free will,  God must be doing something great and new upon the Earth. "
The sight of the happy children inspired others to join the crusade, the urge to take part was irresistible. " People did anything to join the expedition. As it passed by, people put down their tools or whatever they had in their hands at the time and joined in… Nobody could stop them, neither their parents or their friends."
    The monks and nuns who came with the children in both armies brought weapons and food. And some of the children brought meats and loaves of bread. After a few days of marching, however, these few supplies were all gone. The children hunted for food, but they mainly relied on handouts from strangers along the way. Most people were happy to help such a holy cause. They gave the children not only food but also  shelter for the night, allowing them to sleep in their homes, stables, barns, and sheds.
         Even with the food they received from the people along the way, the young crusaders seldom had enough to eat. Many children began to weaken as they marched. Some gave up and returned home. Others collapsed along the way. Many died.
        By sharing the little food they had, the children passed germs among themselves at a rapid rate. Disease often swept through the groups. Some of the food the children received contained mold, causing more sickness. The lack of clean cooking techniques added to the unhealthy conditions.
      Water was also a problem. Near their homes, the children knew which rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, and wells were safe for drinking. Once on the road, however, the children often made the mistake of drinking impure water. Bacteria in the water often caused diarrhea, which in turn resulted in dehydration, or lack of water in the body. In this weakened state, more children died.
     The German children faced even more dangers than the French children did. The Germans had  to travel 700 miles to reach the Mediterranean Sea, the French children only had to travel 300.And the German armies had to cross the Alps, the highest mountain range in Europe.
 These towering peaks remain covered with snow all year long, and the deep valleys are filled with glaciers. As the children began to approach the foothills of the huge mountains, they found green valleys and clear streams with plenty of food to hunt.
     But as they began to climb to higher elevations, the scenery changed to frozen snows and colder temperatures. Walking painfully, barefoot through the snow, many children suffered from frostbite. At night, the children huddled together to keep warm. Few carried blankets, and at such high elevations, there was no wood to use for a fire. Weak from lack of food, dozens of children died from exposure every night. With the frozen ground too hard for digging graves, the survivors were left with no choice but to leave the dead children where they lay.  The trails that led through the mountains were steep and rocky. The sharp rocks cut the thinnest shoes to ribbons and slashed the children's feet. 

 Some children staggered off the trails and fell to their death
down the steep canyon walls. Others sat down to nurse 
their bleeding feet. Weak from continual hunger and a lack
of oxygen at such a high altitude, many children never got up. 
They watched their comrades march on, then died in the 
night as the cold overtook them.
Children Perished
 At the bottom of several canyons the children had to cross rivers of melted snow. Sometimes a bridge stretched across the water, but the children often had to wade across. Many children slipped on the mossy rocks and plunged into the icy water. When the water was shallow, they swam to safety, when it was deep, they were swept away by the current. Dozens of children died  in the freezing waters.
       Once over the Alps, the children descended into Italy. Since Italy was at war with Germany,  Italians did not welcome the fair-haired strangers from the North. Some city leaders shut the children out entirely. Others gave the children food but denied them entrance to the city. In an area known as Lombardy, the children were attacked. One writer remembered: " Having crossed the Alps, some were set upon as soon as they entered Italy and were driven back by the Lombards to return in disgrace."
       The children who were not attacked continued on. Nicholas led his army toward Genoa, a port on the Mediterranean Sea while the "unknown leader" led his group toward Ravenna, a port on the Adriatic Sea. The Mediterranean Sea lay only a few days away.
        Although they started their journey later than the German children, Stephen and his army of French children reached the sea first. In the middle of August, Stephen led his group into the city of Marseilles. By the time they reached the city their numbers had been reduced from 20,000 to  only about 7,000 children ! The leaders of the wealthy port city welcomed the children with open arms. Marseilles had been the point of departure for earlier crusading armies, including that of Richard the Lionhearted, so its citizens were used to housing holy warriors. They fed the young pilgrims and took them into their homes, inns, convents, and monasteries.
The Elusive Miracle
    Early the next day, Stephen awoke and looked out towards the Mediterranean Sea. Its vast waters sparkled endlessly, unbroken by any miraculous pathway across. The young shepherd led his followers to the water's edge, but nothing happened. The children stared in amazement as the waves broke ceaselessly onto the shore.
 The children whose doubts had grown as their comrades had perished along the way now gave up completely. They turned away from the water and went home. Others waited to see what Stephen would do. The young leader announced that he would wait to see what the next day would bring. Perhaps God would point the way then.The next day came and went without any parting of the 
waters or any other sign from God.
 Still, Stephen refused 
to give up. Stephen told his followers to remain faithful 
to their cause and pray for guidance. Another day passed. 
Then another. And another. 
   Finally, two merchants, Hugh Ferreus(Hugh The Iron) and William Porcus(William The Pig), came forward with a plan to save the crusade. They were owners of a large shipping fleet, and they offered to ferry the children across the sea to the Holy Land.
   Stephen and his followers were thrilled. This, they believed, was the answer to their prayers. A few children, fearful of shipwreck, turned back, while the rest boarded the ships quickly. In all, seven ships, carrying about 700 crusaders, sailed from Marseilles in late August. As they moved across the water, the children sang an ancient sailors' hymn. Tragedy soon struck. A storm swept across the water, tossing the ships back and forth. Two of the ships crashed into the rocks of a nearby island and broke apart, spilling the children into the rolling sea. All drowned, including Stephen.
     Saddened by the loss of their comrades, the remainder of the children's army sailed on. When at last they sighted land, they assumed that the distant hills were the very ones on which their Lord had walked 13 centuries before. They were wrong. The crusaders were nowhere near Palestine. The land before them was the northern coast of Africa. The city that rose gleaming from the horizon was not Jaffa, the gateway to Jerusalem. It was the North African port of Bujeiah.
     The captains of the ships had not made a mistake; they had business in Bujeiah. Porcus and Ferreus had arranged to sell the crusaders- children and adults alike- into slavery.
    The hundreds of Christian children, monks, and nuns sold in Bujeiah brought high prices in gold coins from the Muslim slave traders. Ferreus and Porcus then sailed to Alexandria, near the Egyptian capitol of Cairo. There, the merchants sold the remainder of their human cargo. The sultan of Egypt purchased four hundred children and eighty priests. The governor of Alexandria bought hundreds more. Muslim slave traders bought the rest and marched them across the desert to be sold in distant cities, some as far away as Baghdad ( modern day Iraq). A few of the children actually reached Jerusalem, but the holy city was not delivered into their chained hands.
             The children in Baghdad were brought before a group of Muslim princes and ordered to accept the Islamic faith. The first child refused, so he was tortured. Still, he would not deny his beliefs. The child was killed as an example to the rest. To the frustration of the Muslim princes, the next child also refused to change his faith. He, too, was tortured and executed. The same for the third. And the fourth. In all, eighteen children were killed before the Muslims leaders gave up on their deadly plan to convert the Christian children by force.
The German Children Arrive
    At the very moment the French children were meeting their terrible fate in Egypt, the German children arrived in Italy .
    On August 25,1212 , Nicholas led an army of seven thousand children to the gates of Genoa, the great Italian seaport. Three thousand of Nicholas' followers had already died, been enslaved, or turned back. The rest were tired and hungry. Fearful of the mob of children, the leaders of the city debated what to do. Some wanted to turn the children away because they thought the children were there just for fun or to make trouble, or because they feared the children would eat all the food in the city. Others felt it would be cruel to turn the tired children away. Finally, the leaders agreed to allow the children into the city for only one night. The next day, the children must leave.
    Nicholas and his followers were thankful and happy. They had not been inside such a fine city since they left Cologne. For the first time in months, the children ate their fill and slept in comfort. They were not concerned that their welcome only lasted one day. The next morning, they believed, the waters of the Mediterranean would part and they would go across the water and begin their march to Jerusalem.
     Early the next day, the children assembled by the sea. They waited for an earthquake or a tidal wave to part the waters, but nothing happened. They searched the sky for a great storm which might sweep the waters aside with its winds, but none appeared.
    Seeing the sorrow on the childrens' faces, the leaders of Genoa made a generous offer: the children could remain in Genoa if they promised to become good citizens. A few of the German children decided this would be the best thing to do, but most had traveled too far to give up. They began to wonder, maybe this was not the place God had chosen for their crossing. They decided to march farther south, watching for the proper moment and place where God would work his promised miracle.
     Nicholas's children continued toward Rome. The army of the "unknown leader" moved down the other side of Italy, over the mountains. In Italy, a dry season made it even more difficult to find food and water, and more children died.
Victims of Cruelty
     The unknown German leader and his army marched all the way down  to the heel of Italy reaching the port city of Brindisi ( the same place where Spartacus and his army of slaves were hoping to escape from the Romans over a thousand years earlier !). The weary crusader children met greater cruelty here than they endured anywhere else. Many of the children were seized as slaves and abused cruelly. Hearing of the trouble, the local bishop did his best to stop the cruelties. He then met with the children and counseled them to return to their homes.
     Some of the children took the bishop's advice, but most stayed and waited for the promised miracle. Standing at the seashore, the young ones watched and prayed. The waters rose and fell but did not part. The way to Jerusalem remained blocked. After a few days, some of the children got on ships headed for the Holy Land. They were never heard from again.
     Some of Nicholas's children got on ships at Pisa and sailed for the Holy Land. The fate of these children is unknown, although there is some evidence that they may have reached Israel, though not Jerusalem.
The rest of Nicholas's group traveled to Rome. There, the children met with Pope Innocent. The leader of the Catholic Church was amazed by the faith of the young Crusaders. 
     "The children put us to shame," Pope Innocent said. " They rush to recover the Holy Land while we sleep."

The pope did not encourage the young crusaders, however. He could see from their tired faces and thin bodies that they could not go much further. And he did not expect a miracle to open the way to the Holy Land. He told the children to go home and wait for the day when he would call for their help in an adult crusade. The children obeyed. 
         Nicholas was never heard from again . The Children's Crusade was over, but the suffering was not.
          Those who had supported the Children's Crusade were disappointed by its outcome and felt foolish for having helped it. Some became angry, blaming their disappointment on the children calling them "stupid children" or "an assembly of lunatic boys."
          As a result, the children received even less food, water, and shelter on their way home than they had on their crusade. One eyewitness told : "Many of the children died of hunger in the villages and on the roads, and nobody helped them."
     Without a crusade to keep them together, the children's armies broke apart. Traveling alone or in small groups, the children had no defense against the people who wanted to enslave or abuse them. Another writer told: "They began to return. Those who had before traveled through countries in groups and parties, always singing, now returned alone and in silence, barefoot and hungry. Everyone laughed at them. Many were abused."
     Seeking safety, food and comfort, many of the children gave up on their ideas of returning home. Many decided to serve as monks and nuns at monasteries and convents along the way. Others were adopted by families. Less than one third of the more than 50,000 children who had joined the Children's Crusade never returned home. At least 10,000 died.
Shaken by the Loss
    France and Germany were shaken by the loss of so many children. Many parents had been glad to see their children join the Crusade, since it meant they would have one less mouth to feed, but most parents had thought they would see their children again. They had assumed their children would be safe. When they found out otherwise, the parents were upset and angry.
          In Cologne, enraged parents blamed Nicholas's father for the disaster. They dragged him from his home, marched him to a nearby tree, and hanged him.
         Word about  the children who had been sold into slavery did not reach Europe for 18 years ! In 1230 A.D. a priest named John the Unlucky reported the news. He had been with the unfortunate children and saw with his own eyes the tragic ending of Stephen's Crusade. So, Ferreus and Porcus were never arrested for their crime. The two did not go unpunished, however. They were later caught planning to overthrow Frederick, the King of Sicily and were quickly tried and hung.