1095 : Pope Urban II orders first Crusade
On November 27, 1095, Pope Urban II makes perhaps the most influential
speech of the Middle Ages, giving rise to the Crusades by calling all
Christians in Europe to war against Muslims in order to reclaim the
Holy Land, with a cry of "Deus volt!" or "God wills it!"
Born Odo of Lagery in 1042, Urban was a protege of the great reformer
Pope Gregory VII. Like Gregory, he made internal reform his main
focus, railing against simony (the selling of church offices) and
other clerical abuses prevalent during the Middle Ages. Urban showed
himself to be an adept and powerful cleric, and when he was elected
pope in 1088, he applied his statecraft to weakening support for his
rivals, notably Clement III.
By the end of the 11th century, the Holy Land--the area now commonly
referred to as the Middle East--had become a point of conflict for
European Christians. Since the 6th century, Christians frequently made
pilgrimages to the birthplace of their religion, but when the Seljuk
Turks took control of Jerusalem, Christians were barred from the Holy
City. When the Turks then threatened to invade the Byzantine Empire
and take Constantinople, Byzantine Emperor Alexius I made a special
appeal to Urban for help. This was not the first appeal of its kind,
but it came at an important time for Urban. Wanting to reinforce the
power of the papacy, Urban seized the opportunity to unite Christian
Europe under him as he fought to take back the Holy Land from the
Turks.
At the Council of Clermont, in France, at which several hundred
clerics and noblemen gathered, Urban delivered a rousing speech
summoning rich and poor alike to stop their in-fighting and embark on
a righteous war to help their fellow Christians in the East and take
back Jerusalem. Urban denigrated the Muslims, exaggerating stories of
their anti-Christian acts, and promised absolution and remission of
sins for all who died in the service of Christ.
Urban's war cry caught fire, mobilizing clerics to drum up support
throughout Europe for the crusade against the Muslims. All told,
between 60,000 and 100,000 people responded to Urban's call to march
on Jerusalem. Not all who responded did so out of piety: European
nobles were tempted by the prospect of increased land holdings and
riches to be gained from the conquest. These nobles were responsible
for the death of a great many innocents both on the way to and in the
Holy Land, absorbing the riches and estates of those they conveniently
deemed opponents to their cause. Adding to the death toll was the
inexperience and lack of discipline of the Christian peasants against
the trained, professional armies of the Muslims. As a result, the
Christians were initially beaten back, and only through sheer force of
numbers were they eventually able to triumph.
Urban died in 1099, two weeks after the fall of Jerusalem but before
news of the Christian victory made it back to Europe. His was the
first of seven major military campaigns fought over the next two
centuries known as the Crusades, the bloody repercussions of which are
still felt today. Urban was beatified by the Roman Catholic Church in
1881.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1095 : Pope Urban II orders first Crusade
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=52281
1940 : Iron Guard massacres former Romanian government
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5554
1957 : Nehru appeals for disarmament
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=7094
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On November 27, 1095, Pope Urban II makes perhaps the most influential
speech of the Middle Ages, giving rise to the Crusades by calling all
Christians in Europe to war against Muslims in order to reclaim the
Holy Land, with a cry of "Deus volt!" or "God wills it!"
Born Odo of Lagery in 1042, Urban was a protege of the great reformer
Pope Gregory VII. Like Gregory, he made internal reform his main
focus, railing against simony (the selling of church offices) and
other clerical abuses prevalent during the Middle Ages. Urban showed
himself to be an adept and powerful cleric, and when he was elected
pope in 1088, he applied his statecraft to weakening support for his
rivals, notably Clement III.
By the end of the 11th century, the Holy Land--the area now commonly
referred to as the Middle East--had become a point of conflict for
European Christians. Since the 6th century, Christians frequently made
pilgrimages to the birthplace of their religion, but when the Seljuk
Turks took control of Jerusalem, Christians were barred from the Holy
City. When the Turks then threatened to invade the Byzantine Empire
and take Constantinople, Byzantine Emperor Alexius I made a special
appeal to Urban for help. This was not the first appeal of its kind,
but it came at an important time for Urban. Wanting to reinforce the
power of the papacy, Urban seized the opportunity to unite Christian
Europe under him as he fought to take back the Holy Land from the
Turks.
At the Council of Clermont, in France, at which several hundred
clerics and noblemen gathered, Urban delivered a rousing speech
summoning rich and poor alike to stop their in-fighting and embark on
a righteous war to help their fellow Christians in the East and take
back Jerusalem. Urban denigrated the Muslims, exaggerating stories of
their anti-Christian acts, and promised absolution and remission of
sins for all who died in the service of Christ.
Urban's war cry caught fire, mobilizing clerics to drum up support
throughout Europe for the crusade against the Muslims. All told,
between 60,000 and 100,000 people responded to Urban's call to march
on Jerusalem. Not all who responded did so out of piety: European
nobles were tempted by the prospect of increased land holdings and
riches to be gained from the conquest. These nobles were responsible
for the death of a great many innocents both on the way to and in the
Holy Land, absorbing the riches and estates of those they conveniently
deemed opponents to their cause. Adding to the death toll was the
inexperience and lack of discipline of the Christian peasants against
the trained, professional armies of the Muslims. As a result, the
Christians were initially beaten back, and only through sheer force of
numbers were they eventually able to triumph.
Urban died in 1099, two weeks after the fall of Jerusalem but before
news of the Christian victory made it back to Europe. His was the
first of seven major military campaigns fought over the next two
centuries known as the Crusades, the bloody repercussions of which are
still felt today. Urban was beatified by the Roman Catholic Church in
1881.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1095 : Pope Urban II orders first Crusade
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=52281
1940 : Iron Guard massacres former Romanian government
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5554
1957 : Nehru appeals for disarmament
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=7094
#########################################
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