Nicholas of Cologne

…has also been likened to Nicholas of Cologne, who in 1212 led thousands of German children on the ill-fated Children’s Crusade. There is a ratcatcher collection in the local history museum, and there are ratcatcher inscriptions on two of the town’s many notable half-timbered Renaissance houses, the Rattenfängerhaus (“Ratcatcher’s House”)…

…to reach the Holy Land, Nicholas of Cologne led the German pueri southward to Mainz and Speyer. There is reason to suppose that there were French pueri, as well as pueri from the region between France and Germany, among them. Little is known about Nicholas except that he originated from…

…1212 a young man named Nicholas from Cologne became the focal point for a popular movement that swept through the Rhineland. After having allegedly received divine instruction, Nicholas set out to rescue Jerusalem from the Muslims. He believed that when he reached the Mediterranean, God would dry up the waters…