It was for a long time the custom among the devout Christians of France, Germany, Italy and England, to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem and pray at the many spots made sacred by the events in the life of Jesus, especially at the Holy Sepulchre.
The people who lived there did not object to these pilgrimages, especially as those who came, spent money and increased their trade.
But about the year A. D. 1020 the Saracen king Hakem, over-ran all of Palestine, destroyed the Christian churches and persecuted the Christians. Pilgrims returning to Europe, spread the news abroad and the whole Christian world became alarmed. But matters grew better for awhile and Christians were not molested, until in 1076 the Turks came into possession of Jerusalem, when they were again subject to all kinds of dangers, and made to pay for the privilege of visiting the Holy Land.
In 1094, Peter the Hermit, a monk, returned from a pilgrimage and began to preach a Holy War—a Crusade, throughout Europe. He went from town to town, calling upon everyone, with fiery eloquence, to join the army.
The effect was magical. People of all classes took the vow to protect the Holy Sepulchre of Jesus;—Kings, knights, nobles, lords, laborers, and even women and children.
Each one bound to his shoulders a red cross, as a pledge. By-and-bye they were all ready to march. Over 900,000 were in the vast army. But in their religious zeal, they forgot that they must eat on the way. No food was provided; still they marched on, seeming to expect to be fed in some miraculous manner.
Their route lay through a region very well supplied with provisions, and as they went along, they managed to beg and take by force, enough to supply their necessities.
At last, after many battles and defeats, they reached Jerusalem. Of the 900,000 who started from Europe only 40,000 remained;—the rest had fallen in battle, or died of disease and starvation.
The city was finally taken, "and," says one historian, "Seventy thousand Turks were put to the sword. The Christian knights rode in blood to their horses' knees."