Walter Sans-Avoir

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Walter Sans-Avoir ( Walter the have-nothing , also Walter without possessions , Gautier Sans-Avoir ; † October 21, 1096 ) was a French knight and, together with Peter the Hermit, one of the leaders of the People's Crusade , the forerunner of the First Crusade .

Due to his nickname, it was often assumed that the knight was destitute, but he probably only came from the family of the Lords of Boissy-sans-Avoir , which means that his nickname is to be understood as a name of origin.

Walter and Peter left Central Europe in 1096 well before the planned start of the actual crusade. Walter led his group through Germany , Hungary and Bulgaria separately from Peter. After crossing Germany and Hungary without incident, Walter's supporters looted the area around Belgrade , drawing reprisals.

Walter and Peter united their train in Constantinople , where Alexios I Komnenos organized the crossing over the Bosporus . Despite Peter's efforts to hold back the masses, fighting broke out with the Rum Seljuks while Peter was traveling to Constantinople. Walter and most of his followers were killed in the fighting with the Seljuks.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See Jonathan Riley-Smith: The Crusades. A history. 2nd edition, Yale University Press, 2005. page 27.
  2. ↑ See Steven Runciman: History of the Crusades. CH Beck, Munich 1995. Page 119 ff.
  3. ↑ See Kenneth M. Setton / Marshall W. Baldwin: A History of the Crusades, Vol. I: The First Hundred Years. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison 1969. Page 258 ff.
  4. ↑ See Steven Runciman: History of the Crusades. CH Beck, Munich 1995. Page 125 ff.
  5. ↑ See Kenneth M. Setton / Marshall W. Baldwin: A History of the Crusades, Vol. I: The First Hundred Years. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison 1969. Page 281 ff.
personal data
SURNAME Walter Sans-Avoir
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Walter the have-nothing; Walter without possessions; Gautier Sans-Avoir
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Leader of the People's Crusade
DATE OF BIRTH 11th century
DATE OF DEATH October 21, 1096