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Why Many People Thought The World Was Ending In 1030 CE
And how it ended up influencing the Crusades
The early eleventh century was rife with Apocalypticism. Multiple people, including the pope, spread the word that the end of the world was nigh. There were three dates proposed within a 33-year period in which many believed the world was coming to an end. These rumors fueled a resurgence in religious piety, extremism, and repentance, which, in part, fueled the rise of the Crusades at the end of the same century.
The first date proposed for the world’s demise was January 1st, 1000 CE. This theory was popular among a small subset of priests and scholars as it denoted a thousand years from the birth of Christ. Pope Sylvester II himself was purportedly in favor of this interpretation and eagerly awaited the return of Christ. The rumors spread through Europe’s Christian peasantry and allegedly fueled riots, uncertainty, and a resurgence in pilgrimages to the Holy Land, including Jerusalem.
When the calendar turned over to 1001 CE, many people went back to the drawing board and concluded that the millennial period spoken about in the Book of Revelation must then end in 1030 CE, marking the date of Jesus’s death and resurrection, not his birth. But 1030 came and went without any issues, so the date was again pushed back to 1033, a…
