Battle of Civetot 1096

The Battle of Civetot took place on the 21st of November 1096 between the Seljuks, under Sultan Kilij Arslan I, and a ragtag undisciplined army known as the "People's Crusade". Using feigned retreats and archery, the Turks annihilated the crusaders. Most were killed or enslaved; and only a few, including Peter the Hermit (who was in Constantinople negotiating supplies), escaped.

The People’s Crusade, also called the Peasants’ Crusade or Poor People’s Crusade, was an uncoordinated, unofficial prelude to the First Crusade, occurring in 1096. Launched in response to Pope Urban II’s call at the Council of Clermont (November 1095) for a crusade to liberate Jerusalem, it consisted largely of untrained, poorly equipped commoners, pilgrims, and minor knights, rather than the organized feudal armies Urban had envisioned.

Peter the Hermit, a charismatic French monk, was the most prominent leader. Described as a persuasive preacher, he led a large group from France and Germany, promising divine protection. Chroniclers like Albert of Aachen later exaggerated his role, but he was a central figure.
 

Other groups, often disorganized, were led by figures like Count Emicho of Leiningen, whose followers in the Rhineland infamously massacred Jewish communities, viewing them as “enemies of Christ.”
 

Multiple groups, totaling perhaps 20,000–40,000 (estimates vary widely), set out from France, Germany, and the Low Countries. They included men, women, and children, with minimal military training or supplies. Many believed God would miraculously deliver them.

By summer 1096, survivors reached Constantinople. Emperor Alexios I, expecting disciplined armies, was dismayed by the ragged mobs. Unable to support them, he ferried them across the Bosporus to Asia Minor, urging them to await the main crusader forces.

Encamped near Nicaea (a Seljuk stronghold), ignored Byzantine advice and raided Turkish territory. The Seljuks, under Sultan Kilij Arslan I, ambushed them in a series of engagements culminating in the Battle of Civetot.