Palestine of the Crusades, by the Survey of Palestine 1937
Palestine of the Crusades, by the Survey of Palestine 1937
On 21 October 1096, the People's Crusade met its tragic end at Civetot, near the Gulf of Nicomedia. A Seljuk force led by Kilij Arslan I ambushed several thousand crusaders, including Walter Sansavoir, lord of Boissy-sans-Avoir. Walter had embarked from France seven months earlier in response to Pope Urban II's call at Clermont. His journey, marked by the hope of reaching Jerusalem, ended in a ravine, pierced by arrows. This disaster occurred almost a year before the main crusading armies, led by figures like Godfrey of Bouillon, arrived at Nicaea. Walter Sansavoir's contingent was among the first to depart France in March 1096, driven by a practical strategy. With a smaller group, they could move swiftly and forage more easily than the larger armies that would follow. See our article on the Civetot, 1096: The End of the People's Crusade.
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