11th Century Research Paper

At first, the goals of the First Crusade were widespread. Christians of all backgrounds set out on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in order to strengthen their ties to tradition (The First Crusade). The Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos requested the help of Pope Urban II to repel invading Seljuk Turks from Eastern Anatolia, and return Byzantine land to Byzantine control (First Crusade). However, the goal which eventually dominated the others was the reconquest of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and its surrounding areas (First Crusade). Pope Urban II cleverly noticed that the first two goals would rally enough support in order for him to concur Jerusalem and restore

In addition to the horrors carried out by the Seljuk horde on Christians and their shrines, the Byzantines were also begging the pope to protect their empire from other Turkish tribes. Urban II's main incentive for answering this plea for help was not entirely contingent on the letter he received from the Holy Roman Emperor, but more so from the notion that the Eastern and Western sects of the church could be unified. Moreover, they might be fused under the Pope, granting him sovereignty over the entire Christian church. This Papal hope has been revealed to historians through, among other sources, the different accounts of his speech at Clermont. For example, Guibert of Nogent recalls the pope declaring: "And you ought, furthermore, to consider with the utmost deliberation, ..., that the Mother of churches should flourish anew to the worship of Christianity, whether perchance, [God] may not wish other regions of the East to be restored to the faith against the approaching time of the Antichrist" (Peters, Guibert of Nogent, 35). Unfortunately, the Holy Roman Emperor feared his throne was in jeopardy due to the large number of crusaders that arrived to drive out the Turks. He demanded that they press on towards the Holy Land, and for reasons that need not be discussed, strong ties with the Papacy were severed soon

The first crusade started in autumn of 1095. Pope Urban II initiated the first crusade by calling upon his Christians to reclaim the city of Jerusalem. The Crusade was also meant to seek revenge on the followers of Islam. The followers were accused of committing crimes against “Christendom”. Pope Urbans crusade was made possible by the work of St. Augustine on Christian Violence in the past. Many Christians joined the crusade because the Pope promised rewards for the afterlife. After the fourth century, Christianity underwent a transformation when it fused with the Roman state for which warfare was essential. St. Augustine and Pope Urban enabled violence to be an option for Christians and it can be described in this quote, “For the first time in Christian history, violence was defined as a religious act, a source of grace.” After the Pope’s Christian tour, many Christians were ready to destroy everything that stood in their way.

During the Middle Ages in 1095, Pope Urban II influenced the first crusade in France to drive out Turks inhabiting Jerusalem with a speech. As pope, Urban II found active support for his policies and reforms among several groups: the nobility, whose mentality and interests he knew; the monks; the canons regular, for whom he became patron and legislator; and, increasingly, the bishops. Pope Urban II believed there were no other people that were better for the job but the Franks because showing the wrongdoings of humans will fully convey that the true meaning about what being Christian is and the teachings are about. As the Islamic empire grew, the Turks eventually took over Jerusalem and were actively purging the Holy Land. The pope gave an objective speech to the council of Clermont that inspired them to continue to fight for the religious freedom of Jerusalem.

The Crusades did not happen extemporaneously. An upsurge of newly converted nomadic Muslims, called the Turks came together challenged the vulnerable Byzantine Empire. Unable to cease further development of the Turks, Pope Urban II, leader of the Roman Catholic Church, hoped to raise an army to free the Holy Land, overtaken by the Muslim Turks. The Pope got the attention of many leaders, including, bishops, abbots, lords and kings. The decision to raise an army and crusade to Jerusalem was agreed. A Holy war was launched. (Acrobatiq, 2014)

In 1095 Pope Urban II delivered a riveting call to arms that led to the formation of a divinely inspired army intent on retaking Jerusalem from Muslim control. He grounds this appeal on a command from God: “I, not I, but God exhorts you as heralds of Christ to repeatedly urge men of all ranks…to hasten to exterminate this vile race from our lands and to aid the Christian inhabitants” (Fulcher 66). Though Urban emphasizes the need to assist the Byzantine Christians, the hordes of common people, clergy, and nobility that answer his call have diverse motives for embarking on the crusade. The rationalization for the first crusade is revealed expressly by participants who authored chronicles. However, some of the most conclusive evidence is

Pope Urban II was the man responsible for starting the Crusades. Since the Byzantine emperor was beginning to lose his power to the Muslim Turks, he turned to Pope Urban for help, asking him to send troops to fight off the Turks. Pope Urban, looking to gain greater political power in Europe as well, called for a Crusade. He told Europeans that the Holy Land, Jerusalem, had been overrun by Muslims, and thus it was the responsibility for the Christians to take back the city in the name of the true Christian God.

However, Pope Urban II died before news of Christian victory in Jerusalem was able to reach Rome. Although he was not able to see the crusade through to its end, these accounts of his sermon revealed just how much power of persuasion religious leaders had at the time. They also showed that Pope Urban II saw the First Crusade as a war of liberation: liberation of the Eastern Christians and Jerusalem herself. While Crusaders, as a whole, may have initially embarked on this spiritual pilgrimage with good intentions, the waters were muddied when it came to the visceral intention of each person. As the crusade era continued, misunderstanding and hatred between the two religious groups grew. Some soldiers began to see the crusade as a quest for power, money, and personal status. The First Crusade quickly changed from Christian liberation and revival, to an intense battle between the crescent and the

After years of chaos and civil war, the the Byzantine throne was finally seized in 1081 and by Emperor Alexius I. Later in 1095, Alexius sent envoys to Pope Urban II asking for mercenary troops from the West to help confront the Turkish threat. In response to which, the Pope promptly called the Council of Clermont to take up arms to aid the Byzantines and recapture the Holy Land from Muslim control. Pope Urban’s plea was met with a tremendous response, both among the military elite as well as ordinary citizens. Thus With a battle cry of "God wills it!" the Crusades were

In this way, the change that has taken place between both events will be more effectively emphasized. Indeed, the differences are quite staggering. Though the Schism between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches had already occurred by this time, political relations between the West and the East were in fact quite cordial . This was in part due to the fact that the pope dreamed of a reunification of the religion, and believed he could do so through Byzantine emperor Alexius Comnenus . For his part, it was certainly in the emperor's interest to be on good terms with the Pope, and therefore much of the west, as he hoped this would dissuade Roger of Sicily from invading his lands . Upon his pontification, Urban II even lifted the excommunication placed on Comnenus by Gregory VII . Regardless of the reasons behind these strong political relations, it stands to reason that they were in very good health, and that regardless of religious disagreements, the Latin west and Greek east were on excellent terms with one another. In fact, the First Crusade was initially launched by Pope Urban II in response to Comnenus' call for aid in not only consolidating his borders, but also in reclaiming territory taken from him by the Seljuk Turks . Upon hearing these pleas at the council of Piacenza, the pope implored those present to lend aid to the

Many people believe that marriage rites and customs in the sixteenth century were the same as they are today. However, marriage in the sixteenth century was quite different from today. It is different by the age of marriage, bride and bridegroom clothing, the marriage ceremony, wedding reception, and other wedding customs. Getting married is the day you are suppose to cherish the most. In this century, you have the right to marry whomever you choose.

Emperor Alexius encouraged Pope Urban to rally troops to help confront the Seljuk Turks, whom were trying to invade the Byzantine Empire, in 1081. However, Pope Urban saw it as an opportunity to take back the Holy Land. He rallied a wealthy army, by assuring people that if they went to the holy land and fought that their sins would be forgiven and would assure them a spot in heaven. With that being said, the Christian knights were influenced by Pope Urban to start a vicious and fatal war with the Muslims, which led to the Crusades. The Crusades were a series of religious wars between the Christian knights and Muslims. Christians initiated the wars, in order to gain control of the Holy Land, Jerusalem. The two eyewitness testimonies accounted by Robert of Clari and Nicetas Choniates describes the violent and atrocious acts during the Crusades. Both testimonies gave great insight on what happened before and during the fourth crusade.

Pope Urban’s passionate call to arms, whether rich or poor, created a huge influx of people from all walks of life. As Christian ideology within the period was dominated by the belief in heaven and hell, the notion that embarking on a crusade, and completing the crusade, evoked a sense of unity and determination which proved key in the crusade, especially during arduous times. During the gruelling 7 month capture of Antioch, the crusaders were then besieged by Kerbogha’s forces. The crusaders were both tired, starving and thirsty however they still fought throughout the night to keep Kerbogha’s forces out. The motivation was further increased by the claim that Peter Bartholomew had found The Holy Lance.

As mentioned before, the Seljuk Turks were interfering with Christian pilgrimages to Jerusalem, causing chaos and pandemonium. They also engaged in many battles with the Byzantine Empire, and the Seljuk Turks emerged victorious. The Byzantine Emperor, Alexius was worried that his empire would crumble without the military strength and help from Western Europe. So, he went to Pope Urban II and to the Western Prince for help. He asked them for help in war against the Muslim Turks under the idea of Christendom.

However as soon as Popes start suggesting armed conflicts against kings and emperors the people would rally together regardless of how wrong it is. The Popes gave promises of spiritual benefits for those who died fighting for the causes, which then extended to anyone who joined the campaigns. During the first crusade in 1095, Pope Urban II called for the great Christian holy war, which would take back the holy city of Jerusalem back from the infidels known as the Muslims. He held on to the belief that the Holy City belonged to the Christian