Thousands of Children March to Holy Land but Never Return

The Children’s Crusade is one of the more unusual events that occurred in Medieval England. In the year 1212,  tens of thousands of self-proclaimed, unarmed crusading children set out from northern France and western Germany to regain Jerusalem from the Muslims. While never actually receiving official sanction, the so-called crusade was a disaster. None of the children reached the Holy Land, many were said to have been sold into slavery, and thousands never returned at all.
Between the 11th and 13th centuries, seven major Crusades were launched by Christians in Europe against Muslims that were in control of the Holy Land. In addition to these major military campaigns to the East, the Latin Roman Catholic Church also sanctioned numerous minor Crusades against her enemies. These included the Albigensian Crusade (1208–1241), aimed at eradicating the Cathar heretics of southern France, and the Northern Crusades (1193–1290) against the pagans of Northern Europe. Yet, one of the most bizarre episodes in the history of the Crusades is perhaps the so-called ‘Children’s Crusade’, said to have taken place in 1212.
According to a 13th century source, the Chronica regia Coloniensis (‘Royal Chronicle of Cologne’), the Children’s Crusade began around Easter or Pentecost of 1212.

At the same time, another ‘army’ of child crusaders was gathering in Germany. Their leader was a boy from Cologne called Nicholas, and he is reported to have attracted about 50,000 followers. Unlike Stephen, however, Nicholas’ followers included a small number of adults as well, though they were probably not in charge. These crusades travelled from Germany to Italy across the Alps, and are said to have even met the pope in Rome. Whilst the pope praised the children for their bravery, he also told them that they were too young to undertake such a venture. With that, most of the crusaders returned to Germany, though many of them would die on the way. A few determined youngsters boarded ships intended for the Holy Land, and then disappeared completely from history.

Although the Children’s Crusade is referenced in more than 50 chronicles dating from the 13th century, many question the accounts that have been given, and suspect they were at best an embellished version of what actually occurred.
The Children’s Crusade was not a crusade in its truest sense as the Pope did not call for it nor sanction it. Rather it was a popular movement whose details remain obscure and hard to trace, which was spurred on by religious fervour and fanaticism that sadly resulted in thousands of deaths.
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Credit: http://www.ancient-origins.net