Crusade in Jeans
Encyclopedia
Crusade in Jeans is a children's novel written by Thea Beckman
. It contains a fictional account of the children's crusade
of 1212, as witnessed by Rudolf Hefting, a boy from the 20th century. The original Dutch
title is Kruistocht in spijkerbroek. A film version was released in 2006.
. The experiment goes well, but through an accident Dolf is stranded in the 13th century. He saves the life of Leonardo Fibonacci, without realizing who he is, and teaches him Arabic numerals
. Together they join the German Children's Crusade
, and through his modern-day knowledge, Rudolph manages to save a lot of children from horrible fates. However, his knowledge also leads to accusations of witchcraft
.
In the book, two slavers delude a group of children into coming with them with stories of how the innocent shall liberate Jerusalem. Their actual intent is to sell them for profit. With the aid of his twentieth-century knowledge and skepticism, and the aid of a "magical" device or two (such as a box of matches), the boy manages to keep most of the children alive and eventually gets them to safety.
Leonardo: Born in Pisa, his full name is Leonardo Fibonacci. He is a very intelligent young man and one of the few historical characters in the book. The historical Fibonacci is often considered one of the greatest mathematicians in the Middle Ages.
Marie: Her age is uncertain, but it's estimated to range between 8 and 12 years old. She is a parentless beggar with a very sensitive nature, and, during the crusade, both Dolf and Leonardo grow very fond of her.
Frank: The twelve-year old son of a tanner from Cologne.
Peter: A strong child around the age of twelve, who, in the Crusade, became responsible for fisheries. After the tragedy in Genoa, his personality became colder.
Hans: His knowledge of the trees seems unlimited, as his father was a woodcutter.
Berto: A tall and strong boy who felt a strong sense of guilt about his past.
everard: one of the main hunters along with carolus and bertho in his life he has seen nothing but forests and hunting party's, he dies a brave fighter in a fight between the farmers of Lombardy.
father Thadeus: A priest from a neighboring village in the city where Dolf was lost who joined the Crusade.
father Anselmus and father Augustus: Impostors pretending to be monks, and who, under the orders of Boglio, attempt to sell the children to a slave's makert, but fail to do so.
Nicholas: A young shepherd who, deceived by the fake monks, believed to God's chosen one to lead the Children's Crusade.
Carolus: Young nobleman who believes he will be crowned king on his arrival in Jerusalem, but unexpectedly dies, between Genoa and Brindinsi, from appendicitis - a disease which at that time was fatal. His death was a strong blow on Dolf, who cared for him very much.
Fredo: A robust boy and son of an impoverished knight, he left the crusade before they crossed the alps along with another 800 followers.
Hilda: Hilda von Marburg, daughter of a count, grew up in the palace of her uncle(the archbishop of Cologne), and the supposed "future queen of Jerusalem". During the Crusade, she became in charge of nursing.
Frieda: The daughter of a servant, with much knowledge on berries, herbs and root vegetables.
Gardulf: A baker. With his help, the help of two assistants frank and dolf, they made 200 fringes of bread in one night and prevented the children from starving.
Wilhelm: A chubby boy always willing to help Dolf.
and the European prize for best historical youth book in 1974, and the Prix de la Divulgation historique in 1976.
directed by Ben Sombogaart went into production in 2005. The film was released in Belgium and the Netherlands on November 15, 2006. It was shown at the Berlin International Film Festival
in February 2007, and was released in other regions, in theatres or on DVD between 2008 and 2010.
Thea Beckman
Thea Beckman was a Dutch author of children's books.-Biography:At young age , Beckman knew she wanted to be a writer...
. It contains a fictional account of the children's crusade
Children's Crusade
The Children's Crusade is the name given to a variety of fictional and factual events which happened in 1212 that combine some or all of these elements: visions by a French or German boy; an intention to peacefully convert Muslims in the Holy Land to Christianity; bands of children marching to...
of 1212, as witnessed by Rudolf Hefting, a boy from the 20th century. The original Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
title is Kruistocht in spijkerbroek. A film version was released in 2006.
Plot summary
Rudolf "Dolf" Hefting is a sixteen year-old who volunteers for an experiment with a time machineTime travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
. The experiment goes well, but through an accident Dolf is stranded in the 13th century. He saves the life of Leonardo Fibonacci, without realizing who he is, and teaches him Arabic numerals
Arabic numerals
Arabic numerals or Hindu numerals or Hindu-Arabic numerals or Indo-Arabic numerals are the ten digits . They are descended from the Hindu-Arabic numeral system developed by Indian mathematicians, in which a sequence of digits such as "975" is read as a numeral...
. Together they join the German Children's Crusade
Children's Crusade
The Children's Crusade is the name given to a variety of fictional and factual events which happened in 1212 that combine some or all of these elements: visions by a French or German boy; an intention to peacefully convert Muslims in the Holy Land to Christianity; bands of children marching to...
, and through his modern-day knowledge, Rudolph manages to save a lot of children from horrible fates. However, his knowledge also leads to accusations of witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
.
In the book, two slavers delude a group of children into coming with them with stories of how the innocent shall liberate Jerusalem. Their actual intent is to sell them for profit. With the aid of his twentieth-century knowledge and skepticism, and the aid of a "magical" device or two (such as a box of matches), the boy manages to keep most of the children alive and eventually gets them to safety.
Characters
Dolf: Born in Amsterdam, his full name is Rudolf Hefting, and at the age of 16 becomes the active leader of the crusade.Leonardo: Born in Pisa, his full name is Leonardo Fibonacci. He is a very intelligent young man and one of the few historical characters in the book. The historical Fibonacci is often considered one of the greatest mathematicians in the Middle Ages.
Marie: Her age is uncertain, but it's estimated to range between 8 and 12 years old. She is a parentless beggar with a very sensitive nature, and, during the crusade, both Dolf and Leonardo grow very fond of her.
Frank: The twelve-year old son of a tanner from Cologne.
Peter: A strong child around the age of twelve, who, in the Crusade, became responsible for fisheries. After the tragedy in Genoa, his personality became colder.
Hans: His knowledge of the trees seems unlimited, as his father was a woodcutter.
Berto: A tall and strong boy who felt a strong sense of guilt about his past.
everard: one of the main hunters along with carolus and bertho in his life he has seen nothing but forests and hunting party's, he dies a brave fighter in a fight between the farmers of Lombardy.
father Thadeus: A priest from a neighboring village in the city where Dolf was lost who joined the Crusade.
father Anselmus and father Augustus: Impostors pretending to be monks, and who, under the orders of Boglio, attempt to sell the children to a slave's makert, but fail to do so.
Nicholas: A young shepherd who, deceived by the fake monks, believed to God's chosen one to lead the Children's Crusade.
Carolus: Young nobleman who believes he will be crowned king on his arrival in Jerusalem, but unexpectedly dies, between Genoa and Brindinsi, from appendicitis - a disease which at that time was fatal. His death was a strong blow on Dolf, who cared for him very much.
Fredo: A robust boy and son of an impoverished knight, he left the crusade before they crossed the alps along with another 800 followers.
Hilda: Hilda von Marburg, daughter of a count, grew up in the palace of her uncle(the archbishop of Cologne), and the supposed "future queen of Jerusalem". During the Crusade, she became in charge of nursing.
Frieda: The daughter of a servant, with much knowledge on berries, herbs and root vegetables.
Gardulf: A baker. With his help, the help of two assistants frank and dolf, they made 200 fringes of bread in one night and prevented the children from starving.
Wilhelm: A chubby boy always willing to help Dolf.
Awards and nominations
The book won a Gouden GriffelGouden Griffel
The Gouden Griffel is an important award given to authors of children's or teenager's literature in the Netherlands.Since 1971, it is awarded each year during the Dutch Children's Books Week, by the Stichting Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek for the best children's books written in...
and the European prize for best historical youth book in 1974, and the Prix de la Divulgation historique in 1976.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
A movie versionCrusade in Jeans (film)
Crusade in Jeans is a 2006 Dutch film, an adaptation of the first half of the book Crusade in Jeans by Thea Beckman. The film was directed by Ben Sombogaart. It is unknown whether a sequel, based on the second half of the book, will be produced....
directed by Ben Sombogaart went into production in 2005. The film was released in Belgium and the Netherlands on November 15, 2006. It was shown at the Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
in February 2007, and was released in other regions, in theatres or on DVD between 2008 and 2010.