Peter Bartholomew was a soldier and mystic

Mysticism

Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...

 from France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 who was part of the First Crusade

First Crusade

The First Crusade was a military expedition by Western Christianity to regain the Holy Lands taken in the Muslim conquest of the Levant, ultimately resulting in the recapture of Jerusalem...

.

In December, 1097, during the siege of Antioch

Siege of Antioch

The Siege of Antioch took place during the First Crusade in 1097 and 1098. The first siege, by the crusaders against the Muslim city, lasted from October 21, 1097, to June 2, 1098. The second siege, against the crusaders who had occupied it, lasted from June 7 to June 28, 1098.-Background:Antioch...

, Peter began to have visions, mostly of St. Andrew

Saint Andrew

Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...

. Peter claimed St. Andrew took him to the Church of St. Peter, inside Antioch, and showed him where the relic of the Holy Lance

Holy Lance

The Holy Lance is the name given to the lance that pierced Jesus' side as he hung on the cross in John's account of the Crucifixion.-Biblical references:The lance is mentioned only in the Gospel of John and not in any of the...

 could be found. St. Andrew instructed Peter to tell the Crusade leaders about this, and to give the Lance to Raymond of St. Gilles

Raymond IV of Toulouse

Raymond IV of Toulouse , sometimes called Raymond of St Gilles, was Count of Toulouse, Duke of Narbonne, and Margrave of Provence and one of the leaders of the First Crusade. He was a son of Pons of Toulouse and Almodis de La Marche...

 when it was found. Peter did not immediately inform Raymond or the other leaders, and was visited four more times before June of 1098. He began to lose his sight in February of 1098, probably because of the famine afflicting the Crusaders, although he believed St. Andrew was punishing him.

After the Crusaders captured Antioch, Peter and Raymond began excavating the floor of the church. On 14 June 1098, Peter apparently discovered the Lance, and claimed to have been visited once more by St. Andrew that night, who told him to establish a feast day in honour of the discovery. Many people, including the papal legate Adhemar of Le Puy

Adhemar of Le Puy

Adhemar de Monteil , one of the principal figures of the First Crusade, was bishop of Puy-en-Velay from before 1087...

, believed Peter was a charlatan, and had simply brought a piece of iron with him to "find." After Adhemar's death later in 1098, Peter said Adhemar visited him to confirm the authenticity of the Lance.

The discovery of the Lance was at first considered to be a good omen, and it boosted the morale of the Crusaders when they were themselves besieged by a Muslim army. The Lance was credited with ensuring the Crusader victory in this siege, just as St. Andrew had promised. Nevertheless, Peter's reputation was tarnished because many of the nobles still did not believe him. He later claimed Christ

Christ

Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...

 had visited him and instructed the Crusaders to march barefoot to Jerusalem, although this was largely ignored. Other visions, from Christ, St. Andrew, Adhemar and others, revealed divine anger at the various sins and vices of the Crusaders.

On 8 April 1099, Peter went through an ordeal by fire

Trial by ordeal

Trial by ordeal is a judicial practice by which the guilt or innocence of the accused is determined by subjecting them to an unpleasant, usually dangerous experience...

 in an attempt to prove himself. It is very likely that he was severely burned in the process, although he claimed he was uninjured because Christ had appeared to him in the fire, and that he had been hurt afterwards when a crowd rushed to him. In any case, he died on 20 April.

In film

In the film The Crusaders (film)

The Crusaders (film)

The Crusaders is a 2001 Italian television mini-series made into a color feature film written by Andrew Porporati and directed by Dominique Othenin-Girard. The movie shows in English...

(2001), Peter Bartholomew was portrayed by Flavio Insinna

Flavio Insinna

Flavio Insinna is an Italian actor and television presenter. From 2006 - 2008 he presented Affari Tuoi, the Italian version of Deal or No Deal.-Biography:Flavio was born in Rome...

.

Further reading

• Anonymi Gesta Francorum et Aliorum Hieorsolimitorum (ed. L. Bréhier as Histoire Anonyme de la Premiére Croisade). Paris: 1924.

• Runciman, Steven. A History of the Crusades (Vol. 1). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1951. Reprinted 1987.

• Asbridge, Thomas. 'The Holy Lance of Antioch: Power, Devotion and Memory on the First Crusade', Reading Medieval Studies 33 (2007), 3-36.