The Uprising Of The Shepherds

Over 600 years ago, an uprising was started by an ignorant French shepherd boy in Southern France, who set the minds of the simple folk afire with tales of a revelation.
"Every day a dove appears before me. Sometimes, it perches on my shoulder and sometimes upon my head, and whispers prophecies in my ears. When I extend my hand to take the dove, it turns into a lovely maiden and says to me, "Some day you will be a king. But now, you must wage war against Turkey, and you will be victorious."
The words of the shepherd boy had an overwhelming effect. The story spread like wildfire, and the credulous masses flocked by the thousands to see and hear the shepherd boy. Most of the people, their curiosity satisfied, returned to their homes, but hordes of shepherds remained and formed a huge army. This group, which numbered thirty thousand, travelled with the shepherd boy from place to place as he spread his message.
The shepherds had marched to Granada, whence they would continue on to Turkey, when they realized the folly of their expedition. How could they attack the mighty forces of Turkey with their few sticks and clubs? No, they thought, let us attack the Jews instead, for they would be easy prey, and were, after all, infidels, no different from the Turks! They would seize the spoils, buy weapons, and then, equipped for battle, would proceed against Turkey.
Wherever the shepherds travelled the Jews suffered terribly. Messengers were dispatched to the king of France begging for protection against the violent mobs. Afraid of the uprising gaining force and spreading, the king ordered each city to assist the Jews in warding off the marauders. He also ordered the shepherds to disband, but they scoffed at his dispatches.
Jews were massacred in Marseilles, and the shepherds moved on to Toulouse. The governor there moved with great force against them and many were imprisoned. But, during the night their supporters amongst the populace freed them. The following morning, word spread that the "guardian angel" of the shepherds had set them free, and the masses rallied to save them from the governor. So strong was the public support for the mob that the governor feared to oppose them.
Meanwhile, the Jewish population had fled to the tower of Narbonne to escape the bloodthirsty mob. When rumor of the capture of the shepherds reached the Jews, they joyously left the protection of the fortress, sure that the governor had saved them. The shepherd force fell upon the unprotected Jews, and together with local accomplices, scores of Jews were murdered.
The governor was enraged by news of this latest massacre. He, himself set out to crush the shepherd mob, but when he saw the support they had attracted, he had no choice but to retreat in the face of overwhelming odds. The governor had great sympathy for the beleaguered Jews. He sent horsemen to warn them to stay in hiding until the danger had passed. Then, he had them escorted to the city of Carcassonne, which lay locked behind great walls.
When the shepherds heard of the governor's plans, they bribed the escort to inform them of the path which the Jews would take. The hapless Jews were slaughtered by the shepherds who ambushed them on the road.
The shepherds got as far as Aragon and Navarre in Spain, where they met firm opposition from Alphonso, King of Aragon. He captured 80 shepherds and hanged them. When the shepherds reached the city of Montreal, the Jews had been warned and came out to meet them in battle, killing many of them.
One day Alphonso proposed to his strongest warrior, "If you will kill their leader, I will give you a great reward."
"But how could I kill such a holy person?" the soldier asked.
The king replied, "If he falls to your hand, it is a sign that he is no more than a wandering murderer, and you will have performed a meritorious deed."
The soldier set out for the shepherd camp. At first shot the shepherd leader fell. When they saw their leader dead, the others fled from the camp. The shepherd army split into many small bands and returned to their homes. Only one group of about five hundred, unaware of the death of their leader, went to attack the city of Toledo. When they reached the city, Alphonso's brave warriors met them with arms and drove them out of the city.
When generals and kings heard of the defeat of the shepherd army, they set their armies against the remaining bands and destroyed many. Others perished in a plague which followed the numerous battles.
By the year 1320 the uprisings of the shepherds were crushed completely. The Jews of Germany, France, and Spain then gathered food and clothing to help rehabilitate the many destroyed and ravaged Jewish communities in Southern France and Northern Spain.