Peter the Hermit ( 1050 – 8 July 1115 or 1131), also known as Little Peter, Peter of Amiens () or Peter of Achères (), was a Roman 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 best remembered for the massacres of Jews that occurred under his leadership and the precedent they set for subsequent Crusades. He has sometimes been called "Blessed" Peter the Hermit,
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, de Picardie. Others claim he was a member of the L'Hermite family of Auvergne in the Netherlands. These claims are disputed by still other authors, who argue that no evidence can confirm that "the Hermit" was an actual surname, and that surnames did not develop until after his time.
Before 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,<blockquote>He saw many forbidden and wicked things occurring there… so he sought out the patriarch of the holy church of Jerusalem and asked why gentiles and evil men were able to pollute holy places and steal away offerings from the faithful, using the church as if a stable, beating up Christians, despoiling pilgrims through unjust fees, and inflicting on them many sufferings." The frustrated patriarch threw up his hands in exasperation: "Why do you reprimand me and disturb me in the midst of my fatherly cares? I have but the strength and power of a tiny ant when compared to those proud men. We have to redeem our lives here by regular tribute payments (jizya) or else face death-dealing punishment."</blockquote> This experience caused Peter to preach inflammatory statements about the Turks to upset Christians. However, doubts remain whether he ever made such a journey. (A list of known participants in Peter's army can be found at The Digital Humanities Institute.)
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.
Massacre of Jewish civilians
In the spring of 1096 Peter was one of the prominent involved in the Rhineland massacres against Jews. Peter and his troops participated in the torture and slaughter of Jews in Lorraine, Cologne, Worms, Speyer and Mainz. Another group had been led by the knight count Emicho of Leiningen who provoked the group to the massacres. 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. Various historical sources also recount that during an early visit to Jerusalem sometime before 1096, Jesus appeared to Peter the Hermit in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and bade him preach the crusade. The origins of these legend is a matter of some interest. Von Sybel suggested that in the camp of the paupers (which existed side by side with that of the knights, and grew increasingly large as the crusade took a heavier toll on the purses of the crusaders) some idolization of Peter the Hermit had already begun, parallel to the similar glorification of Godfrey of Bouillon by the Lorrainers. or Flanders. It is thought that during the days of famine and cold weather at the Siege of Antioch, or in Huy itself which may have been his home town. His tomb is in Neufmoustier Abbey, so it is presumed that this was his abbey but in another tradition the nearby Solières Abbey claims that it was his foundation.
Peter's obituary is in the chronicle of Neufmoustier Abbey. On its page entry of 8 July 1115 the chronicle says that this day saw "the death of Dom Pierre, of pious memory, venerable priest and hermit, who deserved to be appointed by the Lord to announce the first to the holy Cross" and the text continues with "after the conquest of the holy land, Pierre returned to his native country" and also that "he founded this church ... and chooses them a decent burial". This record further supports Neufmoustier's claim as his foundation.
Legend
thumb|upright|A statue of Peter the Hermit in [[Amiens]]
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". Peter the Hermit's parents would, therefore, be Renauld de Hérimont and Aleidis Montaigu (Aleidis is known in Huy as the "mother of Dom Pierre, with a home in Huy").
There is also a strong and old tradition that Peter the Hermit was the first to introduce the use of the Rosary.