d. 1117 · Rhineland count and leader of the 1096 massacres
Count Emicho
A count in the Rhineland; in 1096 he led one branch of the People's Crusade, remembered for the massacres of the Jewish communities of Speyer, Worms and Mainz, and his army was scattered in Hungary.
BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER
Life and historical role
Life and political setting
Emicho was a Rhineland count associated with Flonheim and Leiningen. He is said to have claimed to be chosen for a divine mission. After the call for the First Crusade he became leader of one of the popular groups that set out before the official princely armies.
Role in the Crusades
In May 1096 Emicho's army attacked the Jewish communities of Speyer, Worms and Mainz. Despite the bishops' attempts at protection, hundreds of Jews in Mainz were killed or took their own lives. The army then reached Hungary; during the siege of Moson (Wieselburg) it was scattered by Hungarian forces and Emicho returned home.
Historical significance and source problems
The massacres of 1096 are among the first and gravest examples of the crusading movement's devastating effect on Europe's Jewish communities. The events are described by Albert of Aachen and in the Hebrew chronicles of Solomon bar Samson and Eliezer bar Nathan. Emicho's identity and date of death are uncertain.
Biographical information is linked to the sources shown on the page and to the connected event records. Disputed dates are given as approximate, gaps are not filled by conjecture, and later literary or visual depictions are not treated as contemporary portraits.