Urban II was elected pope after the death of Gregory VII and Victor III’s short reign. He then became the head of the Roman Catholic church and laid down the structures for the papal monarchy. He expanded and strengthened the papal administration, spread Christianity and started the first crusade. Describe the significant reforms in the papacy begun by Pope Urban II. Why was the papacy in such great need of a reform? Were Urbans II’s motives entirely religious, or did he have political motivations as well? While Urban II was in office he continued to pursue reforms from Gregory VII. but also made improvements on his own. During the 11th century, Pope Urban II gave a speech at the Council of Clermont calling all Christians in Europe …show more content…
The crusade was an attempt to regain papal authority and expand Christianity. The religion was preached on a daily basis and consumed everyday life; however, Urban II recognized that Antipope Clement III was destroying the image of Christianity and he would have to save it. The Europeans have been on the defensive side for centuries, constantly needing to stand their ground, but it was time to take charge. The Crusade was a step closer to making their civilization universal, expanding their territory, and eventually allow for the growth of their religion. This was how Christian warfare and protection of the Church started. Parts of Europe have already been invaded, but by rescuing Jerusalem it demonstrated the power of the papacy and its influence among countries. However, this made many question the intentions of Urban II because it was difficult to tell if he was acting to protect Christianity or to gain power as pope. If he hadn’t given his speech at Clermont, he may not have gained the respect and power he had afterward. The successful papacy of Urban II allowed for him to eventually developed a central governing structure for the church. This would lay down the foundations for his successor and the new administration. The administration was intended to help the Pope in his communication and decision-making. Many presidents around the world have a similar system …show more content…
He was so determined to get his message and thoughts across to others that he would travel around Europe to hold council meetings to speak about the necessity of a crusade. There was much doubt about who would jump on board but through his perseverance and leadership, he was able to obtain the support of even the Southern portion of Europe. He convinced others Christians to join forces to fight for the same cause. His tactics were well executed because it united a divided continent, making them stronger than one would imagine. The mission of the first crusade motivated a desire to destroy those who opposed the church and in order to get more people to fight, he promised them salvation from the sins they were bound to commit. He insisted to his soldiers that by going to Jerusalem, they were given a free pass, they would be able to do what was needed and go unpunished as it was “in the name of God”. This showed the power of the Pope and papacy because they demonstrated how they were able to manipulate their people to risk their lives in war. When Urban II mentioned forgiveness to Christians he knew that they would blindly follow orders as they believed God spoke through him. Not only was it his plan to secure control of Jerusalem, but to fight for the Church’s power in Europe. He seemed to believe that the crusade was God’s way to save the Holy Land and this would unite Christians to fight
In my opinion, I believe that the Crusades came about due to political greed and the need for power. I think sometimes it is seen as a serious of religious campaigns, but I don 't believe any religion would truly influence military battles to conquer the lands of other peoples, to me, that is the desire of power and greed. The First Crusade was called by Pope Urban II in 1905, which started as a "pilgrimage" then ended as a military expedition by Roman Catholic Europe to conquer the Holy Lands, which were originally taken by the Muslim conquests of the Levant. This began with Emperor Alexios sent an ambassador to the pope requesting military support, in which Pope Urban II, requested Catholic volunteers (Using religious beliefs to attract people
Allen Cutler’s journal article delves in to the concept of military conflict and conversion to Christianity during the First Crusade. The author states that it was the intent of Pope Urban II who inherited his interest in crusading against Muslims from Pope Gregory VII, to Christianize Muslims, by words and example. There have been those who have argued Urban II had no interest in conversion, but Allen, counters their assumptions by presenting three document sources that imply that during Urban’s speech at Clermont he broached the subject of conversion, by referring to the Turks as “a race utterly alienated from God.” Allen surmises that Urban the implication is they were not “converted to Christianity” and therefore conversion was foremost on Pope Urban’s mind. The Pope also wanted to reinstall papal
Some was to improve the methods of the church and some was to improve their lifestyle for the opportunity of themselves. The purpose in all this was to serve God and fellow the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. The power of the Roman Catholic Church was the greatest when the cathedrals were built and from birth to death middle ages, population were dominated by the church. The weakest Roman Catholic Popes in my opinion were is Pope Leo X who sold indulgence for
Allan Cutler’s journal article “The First Crusade and the Idea of Conversion” is the first part of an ongoing compilation of tales regarding the First Crusade. Cutler’s grammar is excellent and his writing style is simplistic and easy for the reader to understand. The author list innumerable sources for such a short article, unfortunately, he does not provide much historical fact based data. Cutler continually makes assumptions about his premise and asks the reader to do the same. Cutler in trying to describe what he contends to be “One of the greatest moments in history.”
Long story short they elected a new French pope and Urban refuses to abdicate. Clement 7th takes up his papal roles in Avignon and Urban remains in Rome, this is the beginning of the Great Western Schism. The Cardinals solution to this fiasco is to elect another Pope Martin the 5th in 1415. Two ecumenical councils were held to untangle the mess created and the council of Constantine was the most
These people stretched from Christians to French noblemen. Urbans best known speech was delivered on November 27th 1095 in the Council of Clermont. This speech was directly aimed at the French and talked about bringing peace to Christendom. The speech touched the hearts of many with more than 60,000-100,000 French people willing to help Urban fight to get the holy land back. During his great speech he exaggerated the “Anti-Christian” acts that the Muslim people were taking part in.
Taking back Jerusalem may have been something that developed accidentally on the road to span Christianity. Pope Urban II’s objectives are consistently being questioned by
In 1095, Pope Urban II called the Council of Clermont to enact important reforms in the Roman Catholic Church. At that council, he gave a speech in which he challenged the lords of Europe to combine their forces to reclaim the Holy Land from its Muslim conquerors. In 1096, a French monk named Peter the Hermit pulled together a disorganized army of peasants and soldiers with his fiery sermons. Together, they plunged eastward toward Constantinople in what came to be known as the People’s Crusade.
Pope Urban II called for the first crusade to help the Byzantines and to free the city of Jerusalem. The first Crusaders were hordes of French and German peasants who all together had no military experience and had very little success. Known as the "People's
Pope Urban II is without a doubt the reason why the The First Crusades started. It was through his deliberate actions and monumental speech that a spark was created and would end up leading to the crusades. His words and authoritative position within the Church are also important to recognize for they had a huge influence on the attitudes and direction that The First Crusades took. The impact of this speech is especially relevant when it comes to Stephen the Count of Blois and Chartres who took the words of Urban and put them into action. A letter from Stephen to his wife, Adele, helps give an idea as to the value that Stephen held in respects to the Pope’s speech where the Stephens Actions are reasoned through the words of the Urban II.
Michael Prestwich in his book Medieval People courageously attempts to encapsulate in few pages the early life, as well as the contribution of the Pope Urban II in the reform of the Catholic church and the creation of the first crusades, yet he fails to quote the Pope himself with regard to his speech with the reference to the Christian Holy War against Islam. Such an important missing element demonstrates his prejudice toward Christianity. In particular, Prestwich begins his brief chapter on the life of the Pope Urban II by recalling his contribution to the Crusades. Also, he provides an incisive background of the expansion of the Muslims and the Byzantine empire before the creation and the rise of the crusades.
Pope Urban II’s speech at Clermont in 1095 was a call to crusade given outdoors to the nobles, commoners and church leaders of the Western European Christians (the Franks). The people were moved by this speech and it changed history, launching the first crusade to capture Jerusalem from the Muslim Turks. After hearing Pope Urban II’s speech, thousands of Western European Christians were moved to embark on the dangerous journey and fight in the crusade. I believe the main reasons they were moved and persuaded to fight was; 1) they felt it was their Christian duty, 2) Pope Urban promised them absolution for their sins and 3) they felt compelled to defend Christianity, their holy land and the Eastern Christians.
Emperor Alexius I Comenus has asked Pope Urban II to help aid in the defense of the Byzantine Empire in 1095. The Pope has agreed and is meeting with the Council of Clermont in hopes of uniting the lords across Europe. We have updated information that military action will be taken to regain control of the Holy Land from who the Pope refers to as the "infidels". A French monk by the name of Peter the Hermit has responded to Pope Urban II 's call of arms. With a ragtag army of peasants and soldiers we moved east to Constantinople in what is being called the People 's Crusade.
The crusades happened because of many reasons. First the Turks took over the holy lands. Then the Byzantine Emperor wanted to regain the holy land, so he called for the church 's help. Pope Urban II didn 't want to look weak, so he arranged for the first crusade. That is the cause of the crusades.
In Christianity, the Bishop of Rome, or the Pope, is the leader of the religion. The Pope has had significant influence on the world stage throughout history. The Pope in the early stages of Christianity helped its rapid spread. Through the middle ages, the Pope was just as large of a political leader in Europe as he was a religious leader within Christianity. His influence of the spread of the Christian faith as well as the developments of modern European culture and history makes the Pope and his Papacy one of the most influential and enduring institutions in the history of the world.