''Crusade in Jeans'' (1973) is a children's novel written by

Thea Beckman Theodora Beckmann (née Petie; 23 July 1923 – 5 May 2004), better known by her pen name Thea Beckman, was a Dutch author of children's books. Biography At a young age, Beckman knew she wanted to be a writer. As a teenager, she would write num ...

. 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 Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

title is ''Kruistocht in spijkerbroek''. A

film version A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

was released in 2006.

Plot summary

Rudolf "Dolf" Wega is a fifteen-year-old who volunteers for an experiment with a

time machine Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...

. The experiment goes well, but accidentally Dolf is stranded in the 13th century. He saves the life of

Leonardo Fibonacci Fibonacci (; also , ; – ), also known as Leonardo Bonacci, Leonardo of Pisa, or Leonardo Bigollo Pisano ('Leonardo the Traveller from Pisa'), was an Italian mathematician from the Republic of Pisa, considered to be "the most talented Western ...

da Pisa, without realizing who he is, and teaches him Arabic numerals. Together they join the German Children's Crusade, and through his modern-day knowledge, Rudolf manages to save a lot of children from horrible fates. However, his knowledge also leads to accusations of

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have ...

. In the book, two slavers delude a group of children into coming with them with stories of how the innocent shall liberate

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. Their actual intent is to sell them as slaves 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

Amstelveen Amstelveen () is a municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands with a population of 92.353 as of 2022. It is a suburban part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area. The municipality of Amstelveen consists of the historical villages ...

, his full name is Rudolf Hefting, and at the age of 15 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: She is eleven years old, as stated by Leonardo. 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. ;Bertho: 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 parties. He dies bravely in a fight between the farmers of Lombardy. ;Dom Thaddeus: A priest from a neighboring village in the city where Dolf was lost who joined the Crusade. ;Dom Anselmus and Dom Augustus: Impostors pretending to be monks, and who, under the orders of Boglio, a contact of Anselmus, attempt to sell the children to a slave's market, but fail to do so. ;Nicolas: 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, before the arrival in Genoa, 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 Griffel The Gouden Griffel (Golden Stylus) is an award given to authors of children's or teenagers' literature in the Netherlands. History Since 1971, it is awarded each year during the Boekenweek, Dutch Children's Books Week, by the Collectieve Prop ...

and the European prize for best historical youth book in 1974, and the Prix de la Divulgation historique in 1976. In 2019 it was selected as the classic in that year's "gift a book" campaign, which made it available in paperback for €2,50.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

A movie version 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 The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...

in February 2007, and was released in other regions, in theatres or on DVD between 2008 and 2010.Release information at IMDB
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References

{{reflist 1973 science fiction novels Dutch science fiction novels Dutch alternate history novels Dutch children's novels Novels set during the Crusades Media about the Children's Crusade Children's science fiction novels Novels about time travel Children's historical novels Fiction set in the 1210s Novels set in the 13th century 1973 children's books Dutch novels adapted into films