Albert of Aachen (Alberti Aquensis), “Historia Hierosolymitana,” in Recueil des historiens des Croisades: Historiens Occidentaux IV (Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1867).

Book I, Ch. 25: How many people from different countries were united for this expedition

At the beginning of the summer, Peter and Gottschalk set off with their assembled forces. At the same time, an innumerable host of Christians from diverse kingdoms, such as France, England, Flanders and Lorraine, gathered. Since they were burning with the divine fire of love, they received the sign of the Cross, and they ceaselessly collected their forces. None of those departing for Jerusalem lacked either armor or resources. However, once all these diverse troops had been gathered together, they did not turn away from their illicit activities of fornication. They were immodest in their carousing. They took off with women and girls, and they ceaselessly sought pleasure. All of them boasted of these occasions while traveling on the road.

Book I, Ch. 26: Concerning the murder of the Jews of Cologne

I do not know whether because of God’s judgment or an error of the soul, these troops arose in a cruel spirit against the Jewish people, who were dispersed through out these cities. They cruelly administered death to them, especially to those in the kingdom of Lorraine. They asserted that this was their first expedition and it was their obligation to act against these enemies of the Christian faith. The citizens of the city of Cologne were the first to massacre the Jews. Suddenly running into a modest group of Jews, they beheaded and gravely wounded many of them. They destroyed their homes and synagogues, and they divided much of the Jew’s wealth among themselves. The Jews saw this cruelty, and two hundred of them attempted to flee in boats to Neuss in the silence of the night. However, when the pilgrims and crusaders discovered them, not one of them remained alive. They were killed with a similar mutilation, and the crusaders stole all their possessions.

Bk. 1, Ch. 27: Concerning the same at Mainz

Without pausing, the Crusaders continued on their way to the city of Mainz. As they had vowed, they inflicted much destruction there as well. In Mainz, Count Emicho, a noble man and the most powerful man in the region, waited with a very large force of Teutons for the arrival of the Crusaders from diverse areas. The Jews of Mainz learnt of the deaths of their brethrens. Since they could not evade from so many forces, they fled to archbishop Rothard in the hope of salvation. They placed an infinite treasure in his custody and trust. They greatly believed in his protection, because he was the bishop of the city. Rothard cautiously put away this indescribable wealth that they had given to him, and he moved the Jews into the spacious hall of his own house. He did so that they could remain safe and secure in this very strong and secure place, far from the view of Emicho and his followers. After deliberating, however, Emicho and the others assaulted the Jews with arrows and lances at daybreak. They broke down the doors, and they killed around seven hundred Jews, who vainly tried to resist against so many thousands of men. They dismembered Jewish women; they stabbed in the face with their swords tender children, regardless of age or sex. Since the Jews saw that their Christian enemies were murdering them and their children, not sparing any age, they began to attack one another: brothers, children, wives, mothers and sisters. They killed each other, and then they killed themselves. Mothers cut the throats of nursing children with their knives (it is sinful to say). They stabbed the others, as they wished them to die by their own hands than to be killed with the weapons of the uncircumcised.

Bk. I, Ch. 28: In what manner the army was denied passage when they arrived in Hungary

From this most cruel slaughter of the Jews, a few escaped and professing more fear of death than love of Christianity were baptized. With all their spoils, counts Emicho, Clarebold, Thomas, and the others of that intolerable group of men and women continued on their way to Jerusalem. They aimed towards the kingdom of Hungary, where it was the custom to rarely deny passage on the royal road to pilgrims. But when the people came to the royal garrison of Meseburch [Wieselburg] (which the rivers Danube and Leytha protect with marches), they discovered that the bridge and gate had been closed by order of the king. He had done so, because the slaughter of their brethren had caused great fear to enter all the Hungarians. The Crusaders smelled of death. The size of their infantry and cavalry was estimated to be two hundred thousand, with three thousand of that being the cavalry alone. Since the Crusaders could go no further, they established their camp on the plain. They sent messengers to the king to seek peace, and he promised that they would be heard.

Emicho, Thomas, Clarebold and other illustrious military men deliberated with caution on how they might devastate the lands adjacent to the king’s lands. They moved until they were across the marsh and stationed themselves on the bridge over the Leytha River. They remained there for many days until the middle of June when they had constructed a bridge so that they could frequently attack those within the walls. The defenders strongly resisted, throwing their javelins here and there and killing many of the attackers. Sometimes, those who wear the cuirass bravely erupted out of the fortress, and they gravely hemmed in the Gauls between the marsh and the river. Other times, the Gauls prevailed against the Hungarians and pushed them back to the fortress with grave wounds.

Around the ninth part of the day, Thomas, Clarebold and William, with those who wear the cuirass, those in helmets and the cavalry, stooped to ambush at the place where the Hungarian ships often landed. They hoped that fortune might give them the opportunity to clash and fight with the Hungarians or they might be able to find and plunder the Hungarians’ cattle. Therefore, these men, filled with hope, killed 700 of the king’s soldiers, who had been sent to scout out the Christian army. When the Hungarians realized that they could not flee from this ambush, they suddenly ran at the Gaul forces. The Hungarians fought; they were overcome and wounded. After they were weakened by injuries, they managed to escape and return to their ships. Weeping and wailing, they sailed for their own lands.

In this conflict, William, the head of the Hungarian army and companion of the king, a young (literally…he struggled against white hair) and noble man, was beheaded. Many Hungarians were also captured. After this victory, all of the troops remained on watch for the entire night.

Bk. I, Ch. 29: How the army became confused, causing an innumerable number to perish

After they had held many meetings and the constant killings had continued for a long time, the victorious army became weary from lack of meat. On the appointed day, the strong soldiers who wear the cuirass crossed the river, which had been secured by other forces. They dispersed across the marsh, and they boldly attacked the Meseburch fortress. They deployed clever devices to perforate the walls in two places. The Hungarians were not able to restrict these openings, and all would have been opened by force if they had persisted for another day.

Meanwhile, king Karloman and all his companions mounted fast horses, and they prepared to flee to Russia if they saw that the Gauls had overcome the walls and entered the fortress. Since they had repaired the bridge that the Gauls had previously destroyed, they knew that they could cross the marshes and rivers into Russia if they needed to. But when the Christians were successful in penetrating all the mighty walls, a great fear filled the entire Christian army (I do not know its cause). They all took flight just like sheep disperse and run from a wolf. They ran here and there seeking refuge, forgetting even their friends. The Hungarians saw these strong foes suddenly falter and rapidly flee. The King with a great force poured out of the gate, and they persuaded them without delay. They were able to kill or capture many of them, pursuing them through much of the night. The killing was so great that the waves of the Danube and Leytha rivers moved with blood. It was so great that the exact number of the death is not calculable. They ran into the waters in the hope of escaping before the immense fear; they suffocated and were killed under the waters of the Danube. It is miraculous to say: so many of the fleeing men were submerged under the water that there was no part of the water that was not filled with thousands of corpses for a very long time.

Moreover, Emicho, Thomas, Clarebold, William, and other lesser leaders were able to escape unharmed because their horses were able to change directions. They were able to hide behind the shrubs in the marsh until they could escape during the night. Emicho and some of his men were able to flee to where they had come from; Thomas, Clarebold and other of their men fled to Italy and Carinthia.

I believe that this all occurred, because the hand of God was against the Crusaders, who had sinned in His eyes with excessive wantonness and fornication with concubines. While it is right to exile Jews, who are against Christ, they slaughtered them more for greed of money than for divine justice. God is a just judge, and he orders no one to come under the yoke of the catholic faith by force.

Bk. I, Ch. 30: Concerning the superstition of the goose and the she-goat

There was another detestable crime in this congregation of stupid and insanely fickle people. There is no doubt that this crime is odious to God and unbelievable to all the faithful. They asserted that a certain goose was filled with the Holy Spirit, and they claimed the same for a she-goat. They made these two animals their guides for their way to Jerusalem. They excessively worshipped these animals. The people, who believed with their whole hearts that this was proper, followed them like beasts. May the hearts of the Faithful be free from the idea that the Lord Jesus would want his most holy tomb to be visited by brute and insensate animals or that He wanted these animals to lead Christian souls to the place where by the price of His blood he deigned to redeem the filth of idols and ascended into Heaven! God preordained most holy leaders, rectors, doctors, bishops and abbots for His people rather than brute and insensate animals. But it will be a miracle if, in our modern times of such abominations and such foul crimes among so many thousands of societies, God should return and lead in the time when Moses and Joshua and His other servants will discover these iniquities, and God will seize and purify his majesty with his rod of vengeance.

Ekkehard of Aura (Ekkehardi, abbatis uraugiensis), Hierosolymita, de oppressione, libertione ac restauratione Jerosolymitanae ecclesiae, in Recueil des Historiens des Croisades: Historiens Occidentaux, V (Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1845).

Ch. 12: Folcmar and the priest Gottschalk

For, as it has been said, the people following Folcmar through Bohemia to Nura, a city in Hungary, stirred up sedition. They captured part of its inhabitants, and they dispersed the rest by sword. They left only the smallest part remaining to testify that the sign of the cross had appeared in the sky to free them from immediate death. Gottschalk, not a true but a false servant of God, went to Hungary with these people but not without first punishing the eastern people of Noricum. Since they worshipped a false religious vision, this multitude established themselves in a certain fortress there. From this place, they began to devastate the remaining circumcised people. The natives could not postpone their capture. After they had captured and slaughtered most of the Jews and the remaining Jews had dispersed, the mercenary likewise disgracefully fled. There arose in those days a certain soldier, Emicho, count of those areas that were around the Rhine. His was a name that had been infamous for a long time because of his frequent tyranny. Claiming divine revelation, just like another Saul, and advocating the practice or religion in this manner, he usurped and lead by compulsion 12,000 Crusaders. He led them through the cities on the Rhine, the Main, and also the Danube Rivers. They either killed the entire execrable race of the Jews wherever they went, slaving even then in Christian zeal, or else they were satisfied with simply compelling the Jews into the fold of the Church. When their forces that have been increased by a multitude of additional men and women reached the border of Hungary, they were stopped from entering the kingdom that was well fortified with garrisons and surrounded by swamps and forests. They were impeded, because a rumor had reached and forewarned the ears of King Coloman that the Teutons’ minds did not discriminate between killing pagans and killing Hungarians. The Teutons sieged the fortress of Misenburg for six weeks without success. During this period, they were also occupied with a stupid civil war over which one of them should become the King of Hungary. During the final battle: now with the wall breached; now with the inhabitants fleeing; now with the native army setting fire to their own city. By the miraculous providence of Almighty God, however, the victorious army of pilgrims fled. They relinquished their supplies, and no one carried off any reward except his miserable life. There is no doubt that these people have the zeal of God, but they did not follow His wisdom. Although Christ has foreseen that Christians (i.e. those in the Holy Land) would be freed by military force, nevertheless, they had begun to avenge them by killing their fellow Christians [i.e. the Hungarians]. Since they had repressed divine compassion for the blood of their brothers, the Hungarians had been saved. This is the reason that these simple brothers, just as much as they were ignorant, were tempted to evil.

Hugues de Flavigny [Sancti Huberti Andaginensis], Gesta Treverorum [Deeds of Trier], In Jacques-Paul Migne and Georg Heinrich, eds., Patrologiae cursus completes, series latina, T. 154, 1881 [full Latin text available at http://pld.chadwyck.co.uk/all/search]

Col. 1207A-B

When the Crusaders in their zeal approached the city of Trier, the Jewish inhabitants knew that the same treatment awaited them. Certain of them took of their little children and stuck knives into their stomachs, saying ‘lest by chance they be made a mockery of by the insanities of the Christians, they should be sent to the bosom of Abraham’. Certain of the women went to the bridge over the river, filled the folds of their garments with rocks, and hurled themselves into the depths below. Those who survived lived with this in their hearts. They took their things and fled into the palatine [in this case something like the local castle] that was the sanctuary for Trier and where at that time Egilbert resided. They sought protection there, and they started to demand justice with their tears. They were not given their opportunity, because Egilbert urged them to convert. He exhorted them, saying: ‘Oh Miserable Ones, now turn away from your sins, of which this is the result. Blasphemizing the son of God and disgracing His most holy birth, you have denied that He came to life in the flesh. You have denigrated his mother with your words. Behold! Now this is the reason that you have come to this desperate time in your lives. Therefore, I say to you: if you persist in this faithlessness, you will lose your body as well as your soul’…. [There follows here a lengthy description of Christian beliefs]

Col. 1209 C

...Then, the bishop baptized him, and he gave his name to him. The priests baptized others of the Jews. But while some of these converts became apostates in the following years, the one baptized by the bishop persisted in the faith.