“But though Nicholas and Stephen were labeled fanatics, their mystical mission to the Holy Land intrigued their followers. They held believers spellbound with sermons, songs and promises of miracles. Nicholas was so enthralling that he’s been called the inspiration for the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.”
“Raedts concluded the crusaders were not really children, but poor people—an interpretation that calls the very name of the movement into question.”
The common man...the forgotten man.