Download Pope Urban persuaded the knights of Europe to join the Crusades

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Islam spread far from its birthplace in the modern nation of Saudi Arabia. By
AD1095, Muslim territory included land where Jesus Christ had lived. Christian
warriors of the era believed Christians, not Muslims, should control their holy
lands.
Pope Urban II, the man who was ultimately responsible for the launch of the first Crusade was
born Odo de Lagery, although some historical accounts list him as Ottho or Otto, in 1042. Odo
came from a knightly family, from Châtillon-sur-Marne in the province of Champagne and ruled
as Pope from 1088 - 1099.
He studied at Reims, where he later was canon and latterly archdeacon. In the year 1070, he
moved to Cluny, which was a precursor to the Cistercian order that would play an important
kinship and role model for the Templars themselves. In 1078 he became Cardinal Bishop of Ostia
and Pope Gregory's chief adviser.
Odo de Lagery was crowned Pope in 1088 at the age of 46. His greatest claim to Papal fame was
the speech he gave on November 27th, 1095, which encouraged knights to go to Jerusalem to fight
to win back the city from the Muslims.
The Turks and the First Crusade
The modern nation of Turkey is named for its
Turkish inhabitants, but the Turks were not originally
from Turkey. The Turks were nomadic people from
Central Asia. Many Turks remain in that area; in fact,
there is a nation in Central Asia known as
Turkmenistan (“land of the Turks”).
One Turkish tribe, the Seljuks, began moving into
the Anatolian peninsula, or what we now call Turkey.
These Turks were Muslims, and a Christian emperor,
Alexius I, controlled the peninsula. Alexius appealed to
the Pope to help him rid Anatolia of “the unbelievers.”
Pope Urban II received Alexius’s call for assistance, but decided to use that call to
advance a more ambitious plan. Jerusalem, on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea in
the modern nation of Israel, is considered holy land to Christians, Jews and Muslims, but
in 1095, the city was controlled by Muslims. The message from Alexius presented Urban
with an opportunity to retake the holy lands from the Muslims. The pope called for a
“War of the Cross,” or Crusade, to retake the holy lands from the unbelievers.
Pope Urban persuaded the knights
of Europe to join the Crusades
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Urban appealed to the knights’ religious convictions
 Urban said Muslim Turks were robbing and torturing Christian pilgrims
journeying to the holy land.
 The war offered knights a chance for glory and wealth.
 Urban suggested the knights fight Muslims instead of continuing to fight one
another.
Possible Motivations:
More important, however are the reasons the Crusade was called in the first place. Some possible
theories are as follows:
Urban sought a reunification of the Eastern and Western Churches.
He wanted to make safe travel routes to and from the Holy Land, as many pilgrims were traveling
to the area and being killed on route. This would support the later formation, in 1118, of the
Knights Templar.
Put an end to the fighting among landowners and feudal societies in Europe. By redirecting
hostilities towards a common enemy, the Infidels, the Christians could fight a mutual cause.
Assert the power of the Roman Catholic Church to the Near East.
Whatever the true motivations for the Crusade, Urban died July 29th, 1099 before word of the
Christian victory had reached his ears.
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The Crusaders were ultimately unable to reclaim their holy lands, but the wars
had another effect: Western Europeans had left their homes to fight in a distant
war. The stories of the returning Crusaders encouraged their countrymen to look
beyond their own villages for the first time.