The Children’s Crusade 1212 – Part 1: Stephen of Cloyes
Conflicted: A History Podcast
Outro
Zach Cornwell previews the next episode, which follows Nicholas of Cologne and the Children’s Crusade across Germany, the Alps, and Italy.
In the late spring of 1212, a spontaneous mass movement of 30,000 children arose in medieval France. Led by a 12-year-old shepherd boy named Stephen from the small village of Cloyes, the “Children’s Crusade” swore to march on the Holy Land and peacefully reclaim the city of Jerusalem from Muslim control. In this first episode of a two-part series, we examine the origins of the Children’s Crusade, the historiographical controversy surrounding it, and the enigmatic figure at its center, Stephen of Cloyes.
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