隐士彼得

Peter the Hermit (French: Pierre l'Ermite; c. 1050 – 8 July 1115 or 1131), also known as Little Peter (Petit Pierre), Peter of Amiens (Pierre d'Amiens), or Peter of Achères (Pierre d'Achères), was a Catholic priest of Amiens and a key figure during the military expedition from France to Jerusalem in 1096 known as the People's Crusade. Amongst Jews he is identified with the Rhineland massacres that occurred during his leadership and the precedent they set for subsequent Crusades. He has sometimes been called "Blessed" Peter the Hermit, although he has not been beatified in the Catholic Church.

After leading his followers through Europe, Peter's armies were almost entirely annihilated by the Seljuk Turks, forcing him to winter in Constantinople and join up with the Prince's Crusade. After that, he continued to have a leadership role in varying degrees of significance as the Crusaders invaded the Levant and took Jerusalem.

Family

He is called Pierre l'Ermite in French. The structure of this name in French, unlike its English translation, has led some Francophone scholars to treat l'Ermite as a surname rather than a title.

According to some authors, Peter was born around 1050, the son of Renauld L'Ermite of Auvergne and his wife Alide Montaigu of Picardie. Others claim he was a member of the L'Hermite family of Auvergne in the Netherlands.……

Prior to 1096

According to Anna Komnene's Alexiad (1148), Peter attempted a pilgrimage to Jerusalem before 1096, but was prevented by the Seljuk Turks from reaching his goal and was reportedly mistreated. He was said to have witnessed scenes that disturbed him during this pilgrimage.

When he finally reached the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,He saw many forbidden and wicked things occurring there...……

Crusade to the Holy Land

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Urban II, commissioned Peter to command an armed pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Before Peter went on his military expedition he received permission from Patriarch Simeon II of Jerusalem. Peter was able to recruit from England, Lorraine, France, and Flanders. He arrived in Cologne, Germany, on Holy Saturday, 12 April 1096.

Massacre of Jewish civilians

In the spring of 1096, Peter was one of the prominent involved in the Rhineland massacres against Jews.……

Hungary, Belgrade, and Sofia

Before reaching Constantinople, Peter and his followers began to experience difficulty.……

Role in preaching the First Crusade

Albert of Aix in his Historia Hierosolymitanae Expeditionis claims that Peter the Hermit was the true author and originator of the First Crusade. This story later appears in the pages of William of Tyre, which indicates that even a few generations after the crusade, the descendants of the crusaders believed Peter was its originator. This myth was dismissed by modern historians beginning with Heinrich von Sybel.……

Later life

There is very little concrete record for Peter's life after returning to Europe and much of what is known is speculation or legend. However, Albert of Aix records that he died in 1131, as prior of a church of the Holy Sepulchre which he had founded in France or Flanders. It is thought that during the days of famine and cold weather at the Siege of Antioch, Peter attempted to flee only to be captured by the Norman prince Tancred and placed back on the battlefield in 1097.……

Legend

Since his death various legends have sprung up around Peter. One legend has its roots in the writings of Jacques de Vitry, who found it convenient to convince people from the bishopric of Liège of the merits of participating in the Albigensian Crusade by manipulating the story of Peter.

Another legend is given in the 14th century by the French troubadour Jehan-de-Bouteiller, who sings the memory of "a dict Peter the Hermit deschendant a count of Clairmont by a Sieur d'Herrymont [who] married a Montagut".……