The Crusades were a series of religious wars that left a trail of heroic triumphs and spectacular blunders. In this roundup we highlight the 10 embarrassing flops that prove even medieval zealots could stumble spectacularly. From megaphone preachers fleeing the battlefield to cannibalistic sieges, these cringe-worthy moments still echo through history.
10 Embarrassing Flops Overview
10 Pastor Of The First Crusade Runs Away
In 1095, Pope Urban II convened the Council of Clermont in France and urged a holy war against the Turks. Peter the Hermit, a charismatic monk from Amiens, answered the call with fervor, eloquence, and a talent for rallying crowds. He quickly became the medieval equivalent of a megachurch preacher, amassing a massive following eager to join the First Crusade.
However, preaching prowess did not translate into battlefield competence. In 1096, Peter set out with his followers months before the main crusading armies, only to see his force decimated in Turkey. He was forced to linger in Constantinople, awaiting the arrival of the larger crusader contingents.
By 1098, the chaos of the First Crusade was evident. Realizing the danger, Peter attempted to abandon the campaign, but he was captured by his own comrades. He pleaded for forgiveness and was compelled to rejoin the crusade, highlighting the precarious nature of his leadership.
9 Lionheart’s Sister Rejects Saladin’s Brother
The Third Crusade (1189–1192) is famed for its two titanic personalities: England’s Richard the Lionheart and the Kurdish sultan Saladin. Their interactions were often portrayed as a model of chivalry and mutual respect.
In 1191, Richard concocted a diplomatic gambit: he offered his sister Joan in marriage to Saladin’s brother al‑Adil, but only if al‑Adil converted to Christianity. Saladin consented, yet the religious stipulation proved an insurmountable obstacle. Joan, unwilling to marry a Muslim, rejected the proposal outright.
Richard then considered substituting his niece for his sister, but Saladin dismissed the notion. The marriage scheme collapsed, and the crusade continued with the Muslims eventually retaking Jerusalem, while Richard negotiated a settlement that allowed limited Christian access.
8 The Crusade Of Frederick II
Frederick II, grandson of Frederick Barbarossa, wore many crowns: Holy Roman Emperor, King of Germany, King of Sicily, and Duke of Swabia. In 1229 he even claimed the title King of Jerusalem.
Despite his intellect, Frederick was notoriously unreliable—much like a friend who habitually breaks promises. The papacy repeatedly urged him to lead a crusade, and each time he pledged support only to delay or abandon the effort. Eventually, the Pope excommunicated him for his vacillations.
After his excommunication, Frederick finally launched a crusade in 1228‑29 without papal approval, reinforcing his ban. Rather than a battlefield campaign, he negotiated a treaty with Egypt’s Malik al‑Kamil, ceding Jaffa, Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Jerusalem to the Christians, while the Muslims retained the Temple and left Jerusalem undefended. This arrangement sparked a ten‑year truce between the faiths.
Frederick then proclaimed himself King of Jerusalem—a title rejected by both the Catholic Church and European nobility—leading to a second excommunication. When the treaty expired, Muslim forces swiftly reclaimed Jerusalem, which remained under Muslim control until 1917.
7 The Children’s Crusade
The Crusades were fueled not only by seasoned knights but also by fervent laypeople. Yet the Catholic Church withheld official sanction for the ill‑fated Children’s Crusade of 1212, fearing that untrained masses would jeopardize the cause.
Two charismatic leaders emerged: French peasant Stephen of Cloyes and German youth Nicholas of Cologne. Stephen rallied a peasant army of up to 30,000, hoping to petition the French king to embark on a crusade. The monarch’s lukewarm response—essentially “how cute”—meant Stephen’s group never reached the Holy Land.
Nicholas led his followers to Genoa, anticipating a miraculous sea crossing that never materialized. Many stayed in Genoa as cheap labor, while others trekked to Rome, where the Pope advised them to return home. Tragically, Nicholas’s father was executed by enraged parents for encouraging his son’s venture.
6 The Many Woes Of Byzantium
The Byzantine Empire, the premier Christian power of the Middle Ages, struggled to repel Muslim advances. When Alexius I sought aid from Pope Urban II, his plea helped ignite the First Crusade.
Upon the arrival of Western feudal lords in Constantinople, Alexius realized his request might have backfired. The Latin crusaders followed Roman Catholicism, while the Byzantines adhered to Greek Orthodoxy, fostering mutual distrust. Crusaders often kept reclaimed Byzantine lands, leaving the empire to fend for itself.
This tension peaked during the Fourth Crusade (1202‑04), led by Venetians, French, and Germans. To fund a Venetian fleet aimed at Egypt, the crusaders struck a deal with Byzantine prince Alexius IV, promising to install him after deposing his usurper uncle Alexius III. In exchange, Alexius IV pledged financial support.
The crusaders seized Constantinople with little resistance, crowning Isaac II and Alexius IV as co‑emperors. However, Alexius IV could not deliver the promised funds, prompting the crusaders to rationalize a full‑scale war: they argued that Constantinople should submit to the Catholic Church, labeling the Byzantines as heretics, thereby justifying a crusade against fellow Christians.
The resulting sack of Constantinople in 1204 was brutal and devastating, installing a Western European ruler and marking a catastrophic reversal of Alexius I’s original plea for help.
5 The French King Destroys The Knights Templar
The Knights Templar, a military order devoted to the Crusades, also pioneered early banking. They devised a system allowing pilgrims to deposit funds in Europe and retrieve them safely in the Holy Land, effectively protecting travelers from robbery.
Although individual Templars swore vows of poverty, the order amassed considerable wealth. French monarch Philip IV, hearing rumors of their treasure, coveted the riches for himself.
Philip persuaded Pope Clement V—who held jurisdiction over the Templars—that the order was heretical and corrupt. Lacking solid evidence, Clement yielded, leading to the mass arrest of Templars, seizure of their assets, and execution of knights across Europe.
Grand Master Jacques de Molay was burned at the stake in 1314. Ironically, both Clement and Philip died later that same year, underscoring the dramatic fallout of their actions.
4 The Eighth Crusade: Death By Dysentery
By the late 13th century, crusading zeal was waning, yet King Louis IX of France remained a steadfast believer. Renowned for his chivalry, generosity, and piety, Louis embodied the ideal medieval Christian monarch.
In 1248, Louis launched the Seventh Crusade, aiming to retake Jerusalem after its loss following Frederick II’s treaty expiration. He targeted Egypt, the heart of Muslim power, but the campaign faltered: Louis was captured, ransomed, and forced to retreat.
Undeterred, Louis embarked on the Eighth Crusade in 1270, this time focusing on Tunisia, hoping that securing its ports would ease future Egyptian campaigns.
Upon landing in North Africa, dysentery ravaged his army, claiming Louis’s life in August. Despite his devout commitment, the crusade ended in disaster. Louis was later canonized in 1297, cementing his legacy despite the failure.
3 Women’s Scorn Leads To The Crusade Of 1101
After the First Crusade’s success, many who had sworn the crusader’s oath in 1096 balked at actually marching east. Some veterans even deserted, fearing the campaign’s prospects. One such deserter was Stephen of Blois, whose wife Adela of Blois pressured him to fulfill his vow.
When Jerusalem fell, Pope Paschal II threatened excommunication for any crusader who had taken the vow but not proceeded. Embarrassed and shamed, families forced oath‑breakers back into the fray. Stephen’s wife, Adela, urged him to rejoin the effort.
Yielding to pressure, Stephen and other reluctant nobles joined the Crusade of 1101. The venture ended in disaster: Turkish forces defeated the crusaders at each engagement, and Stephen perished at Ramula in 1102.
2 Starving Crusaders Eat Saracen Buttocks
During the First Crusade in 1098, the crusaders besieged the Syrian city of Ma’arra. After a month, the Muslim defenders surrendered under the promise that the crusaders would spare the inhabitants. The crusaders broke their word, slaughtering the population.
With the city’s food stores exhausted, the starving crusaders turned to cannibalism. Historical accounts describe them cutting pieces from the victims’ buttocks, boiling adult flesh, and roasting children on spits. Some even ate raw human meat, driven by desperation.
Later medieval romance Richard Coer de Lyon fictionalized Richard the Lionheart as tasting Saracen flesh that surprisingly resembled pork. In the tale, Richard laughs upon discovering the truth and declares his army will never starve again.
1 The Inadvertent Slaughter Of Jews
The official Crusade targets were Muslim forces in the Holy Land and pagan groups in Europe. Yet the crusading movement inadvertently sparked waves of anti‑Semitic violence.
Crusaders rationalized that Jews were enemies of Christianity for rejecting Jesus, leading to attacks on Jewish communities despite papal admonitions for restraint. In 1096, crusaders assaulted three prosperous Rhineland towns, forcing Jews to convert or die; many chose death over conversion. After Jerusalem fell in 1099, its Jewish residents were enslaved and tasked with cleaning the city.
Anti‑Jewish violence persisted with each new crusade. In 1320, the Shepherd’s Crusade—a popular uprising in France—mobilized roughly 40,000 mostly teenage peasants to assault Jewish communities, destroying over 100 towns and killing thousands.
The Shepherd’s Crusade was condemned by clergy and nobility; the Pope excommunicated participants, and Christian authorities executed the ringleaders.