German Crusade, 1096

The German Crusade of 1096 is that part of the First Crusade in which peasant crusaders from France and Germany attacked Jewish communities. Although anti-Semitism had existed in Europe for centuries, this is the first record of an organized mass pogromcitation needed].

Pope Urban II did not mention the Jewish people when preaching the First Crusade, and later condemned any violence perpetrated against the Jews. In some cases, authorities and religious leaders attempted to shelter their Jewish subjects.