Camino travelers (middle ages)

[Gene Silva]

Gary wrote:

 Are there any references that show different numbers from that
time period?  There may be reasons that produced such amazing numbers.
GRHammond


Gary:

I have come across a few references to the numbers of pilgrims at various
times and locations along the camino, but they are, in my view, speculative
at best. The Kings, regional Lords, Bishops and local "Barons" of Christian
Spain in the 13th century (that is, the northern marches from Roncevalles to
Santiago during the reconquest) had trouble defining their own spheres of
influence over the general population, much less count transients from other
lands.  There simply were not many records kept of pilgrims passing through
their territory. Those that do exist are regarded as unreliable. In her
excellent book on pilgrimages to Santiago, Linda Davidson notes in the
Introduction, "How many pilgrims were there?........Authenticity of some of
the earliest documents is controversial..."  I suspect this was Linda's
polite way to cast doubt on whatever you read on the subject.

I have no particular insight to offer, but it seems to me the circumstantial
evidence favoring a number per year significantly fewer than one million is
quite strong. Anything close to that figure would have had an economic,
environmental and social impact upon the region that almost certainly would
have been reported by chroniclers or revealed in surviving documents and
royal decrees. To be sure, there are numerous existing references to the
camino and pilgrims. However, none other than those written to impress the
reader (e.g. Picaud) speak in terms of millions. Now if someone were to come
across a tax ledger maintained by the King's bursar listing collections
received at a popular bridge along a well traveled section of the camino,
that would be interesting, relevant and potentially reliable. Church records
of foreigners who died or were born in a given year might be extrapolated to
yield a fairly accurate accounting of who was passing through the area. This
is the sort of documentary proof serious historians rely upon to justify
estimates made by the medieval mind.

I do agree with you that piety was a common virtue of daily life in the age
of Saint Francis. The fact many thousands, if not millions, of people of
every social class in Europe walked to Santiago, Rome and Jerusalem, not to
mention other "lesser" sites of veneration, risking life and limb along the
way, is a testament to the profound power of faith in the middle ages.