SOURCE: “Critical Work on the Latin Sources of the First Crusade,” in Annual Report of the American Historical Association for the Year 1900, Volume I, Washington Government Printing Office, 1901, pp. 499–509.

In the following essay, Thatcher discusses and ranks the contemporary Latin sources of the First Crusade and comments on what these sources reveal about the reality of that Crusade.

When dealing with the history of the crusades in the class room I have always met with great surprise, not to say incredulity, on the part of many students. The legends about Peter the Hermit and Godfrey of Bouillon have not only occupied a prominent place in text-books, but also have done yeoman service as homiletic material in illustrating various Christian virtues. It is no wonder, therefore, that these legends have a firm place in the minds of the youth of the land, who are surprised and shocked when told...