World History: Questions for Analysis

The Crusades were the first tactical mission by Western Christianity in order to recapture the Muslim conquered Holy Lands. Several people have been accredited with the launch of the crusades including Peter the Hermit however it is now understood that this responsibility rested primarily with Pope Urban II . The main goal of the Crusades was the results of an appeal from Alexius II, who had pleaded for Western Volunteers help with the prevention of any further invasions. The Pope’s actions are viewed as him answering the pleas of help of another in need, fulfilling his Christian right. However, from reading the documents it is apparent that Pope Urban had ulterior motives for encouraging engagement in the war against the Turks. The

Pope Urban II had the power and “Godly permission” to honor the Byzantium Empire’s request to commission Christian allies to join in a fight and enquiry over the city of Jerusalem. His call to duty, at the start the Crusades, would have been the same mode of operation of any imperial order to command troops during that period of time. To simply say that, “the Crusades was a war of spiritual endeavor” would ignore the fact the Church of Rome was not an imperialistic entity.

On November 27, 1095, Pope Urban II gave a supposedly important speech at the end of a church meeting in Clermont, France. In it he had called upon the nobleness of the Franks, to go to the East and assist their Christian “brothers”, the Byzantines, against the attacks of the Muslim Turks. He also apparently encouraged them to liberate Jerusalem, the most sacred and holy city in Christendom, for the Muslims had ruled it since taking it from the Christian Byzantines in A.D. 638. The Crusades were a series of wars between Christians and others to take back Jerusalem.

The first Crusades were ordered by Pope Urban II. The Crusades were a series of military Christians and Muslims. They fought over the holy land of Jerusalem. It took place in Middle East between 1095 and 1291. The Crusades were caused primarily by the desire for political and economical gain rather than religious devotion.

Although pope urban said the christians were fighting to save their brothers,the crusades was mainly about christians taking back their land and power.

Patrick Geary’s “Readings in Medieval History” contains four accounts of the invasion of the Middle East by the Europeans in 1095 A.D. These accounts all cite different motives for the first crusade, and all the accounts are from the perspective of different sides of the war. The accounts all serve to widen our perspective, we hear from the Christian and Middle Eastern side of the conflict. Fulcher of Chartres claims, Pope Urban the Second urged all Christians to intervene in the “East” at the council of Claremont, saying it was a sign of “Strength of good will”. (Readings in Medieval History, Geary, page 396).

The crusades offered them with being pardoned from sins and criminal actions such as robbery. Fighting in the crusades were seen as becoming equal, no division between the rich and poor, they are fighting for the same cause. 3. How does Urban II cast himself in this speech? How may it have strengthened the papacy’s position in the church hierarchy?

The age leading up to the first crusade is detailed by many current historians, as well as Pope Urban II, as a time period where inhabitants "rage[d] against [their own] brothers and cut each other [to] pieces" (Peters, Baldric of Dol, 31) for economic and social advancement. In spite of these references, many people today believe that the Pope instigated the crusades for the sole reason of reclaiming Jerusalem. However, other motivations such as supplementary religious factors and the chance for economic, social, and political gain also played major roles. These motivations were not experienced supremely by the Pope; in fact he needed to instill these inspirations in all Christians to evoke their will to fight. The holy land had long

Pope Urban called for the lords and knights who formed society’s military elites. Pope Urban was a good communicator, but what he said was a

Pope Urban II’s Speech at Clermont inspired men to fight in the name of God No one man is willing to fight and die for a cause he does not believe in. Often times, war is fought because of differing beliefs, but how do you persuade a nation to take up a cause and fight so far from home? Pope Urban II was a very clever man, he knew who his people were and he used that knowledge to incite their rage and sense of duty to uphold God’s will. By appealing to their sense of justice and righteousness, Pope Urban II was able to convince the Christians of the west to embark on a dangerous journey to fight in the Holy Land.

Pope Urban repeats many times in his speech that theft and murder are sins, “If anyone seizes or robs monks, or clergymen, or nuns, or their servants, or pilgrims, or merchants, let him be anathema (that is, cursed).” But there is a hypocrisy to this, for Pope Urban seems to have committed the same sins against only his enemies. He has done this in the name of God as if it is what was asked of him as the voice of God, “Soon our men were running all around the city, seizing gold and silver, horses and mules.” The first crusade was nothing but a grasp for religious power, and no selfish act is one that abides by Christianity’s laws. But, it was also a quest for absolute power regardless of who they were fighting for.

For the lecture, I attended I went to Professor’s Eric Palazzo talk on the five senses on an illustration with a charter on it. The piece was from the middle ages and was depicting a religious scene more specifically Christianity. In the lecture, Professor Eric Palazzo explained the connections if any from the charter to the illustration. He also takes a time to explain every detail of the Christian illustration from the curtain to the people.

Pope Urban II’s harangue had promised his people that through going to war, they would be guaranteed a ticket

The source is an intriguing painting, as Christianity gained influence the belief system continually emerged upon the value of images in their previous cultural experience and they wanted to continue this in their Christian ideology. In this particular picture, a Crusader is kneeling before God as he is sworn to protect, serve as we he would for a feudal lord or those in need.

These were just some of the issues plaguing the Eastern and Western Christians that led to the Great Schism. It seems that even after 1054 relations between the east and west were not completely unfriendly, and the common peasant was probably not immediately affected by the