Perilous Pilgrimage

by Henry Treece, Christine Price (Illustrator)

As Alys and Geoffrey de Villacours rode out in the warm spring sunlight of the year 1212, the violence of feudal days seemed far from their peaceful corner of France. But the news brought that day by the battle scarred Crusader stirred them both to dream of high adventure. To the north a young shepherd, Stephen of Cloyes, was gathering a Children's Crusade to march on the Holy Land to free the Holy Sepulchre from the Saracens.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Childrens

158 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

Henry Treece (1911-1966) was a British poet and writer, who also worked as a teacher and editor. He wrote a range of works but is mostly remembered as a writer of children's historical novels.

Reviews

[Amy Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating volume on the history of the Children's Crusade. In actuality, there were TWO: one led out of France, and one from Germany. All of the zealotry ends very sadly: once the French group reaches Marseilles, they are imprisoned & sold as slaves by unscrupulous traders; the German group mainly dies while trying to cross the Alps. An interesting footnote: the Pope at the time was OPPOSSED to this movement. All-in-all, a very tragic tale which started off with hope & religious idealism.

[Frankie Rufolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fictional retelling of a surprisingly little-known historical event, this book has almost biblical size. It tells a great story, but at the same time there's that historical grit and realism. It shocked me, yet inspired me at the same time. The characters are well developed, the description was pretty good, as were the illustrations and even the action sequences were pretty exciting.

[Matilda Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alys and Geoffrey of Beauregard join the shepherd-boy Stephen on a children's crusade to free the city of Jerusalem. At Marseilles, some merchants promise to take the children there, but instead, Alys and Geoffrey are separated and sold as slaves to the Governor of Egypt.

Whilst working for their master, they met each other and plan to escape. Brother Gerard, one of their father's priests, finds them. He says he's been looking for them ever since they left, and that he has ships waiting by the coast to take them back to France.

[Richard Larkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, if extremely middle class, story.

[Doodles McC · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an eleven year old I loved this tragic story based on true events. This is the kind of history that should be included in class. Why no film made of this event?. The Children's Crusade was a failed popular crusade by European Christians to establish a second Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem around 1212. Although it is called the Children's Crusade, it never received the papal approval from Pope Innocent III to be an actual crusade. The story comes from the preaching of visions by a French boy and a German boy, an intention to peacefully convert Muslims in the Holy Land to Christianity, bands of children marching to Italy, and children being sold into slavery in Tunis. The crusaders of the real events on which the story is based left areas of Germany, led by Nicholas of Cologne, and Northern France, led by Stephen of Cloyes.

[Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The school library always had Henry Treece and Leon Garfield's books, and despite wonderful covers I never read any. This book has been on my shelves for at least 30 years and I've finally read it. The afterword tells me how much of the tell comes to us from historic records and how much is imagination but what a tale!
There was a German children's crusade as well as this French one. The story of a charismatic boy leading children to the Holy Land via the anticipated parting of the Mediterranean Sea; the subsequent move into slavery and freedom are brilliantly moving and well told.
I hadn't realised till recently that Christine Price illustrated the book behind this Steve Noon cover and the illos are very good too. We also get a map of the children's journeys.
Great Read!

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had forgotten all about this story until watching a show on ther Crusades on evening! I was aware of the Crusades, but a childrens crusade was a new one to me. Althoough only a fictional account, it was an enlightening story and led me to read more about the crusades. Such a sad story in history. The book was a well researched and thought provoking read. Now I'm off to find another copy to read it again, my copy appears to have been lost some place in the distant past...

[Pankaj · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the vague historic account of The Children's Crusade by European Christians to establish a second Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem in the Holy Land in the early 13th century.

This fictionalized account is based on the sparse historic accounts available. It is a very pedestrian account full of cliches and although it tries to stay true to details available, does not deserve a higher rating. Still, interesting reading.

[Christina Baehr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read-aloud to explore the crusades with my kids and excellent for geography also.

[Jo Beale]

1967 penguin

[Ben Chenoweth · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK story for teens, lots of action, could have been filled out into a book twice its length.