Pope Urban Vii's Speech In The Crusades

The Crusades were an event that happened over a thousand years ago, and they shaped most all of Europe. There were tens of thousands of deaths, much destruction, and many resources used on all sides of the war. Even though the war did not have to be started in the first place, after Pope Urban II gave a speech in November of 1095 the two sides could never come to a compromise without violence. This is due to the inherent lack of similar characteristics that comes with religions, bundled by the Pope’s persuasiveness and appetite to “retake the holy lands.” He clearly wanted to reacquire the land that the Muslims controlled at that time, for he wrote letters to Flanders, Genoa, Bologna, Pisa, and Milan, as well as preaching about it wherever

When he died in 1085, Pope Urban II continued on the late Pope Gregory VII’s message of attempting to retake the holy lands. In March of 1095, an ambassador came from the Byzantine Emperor, Alexios I Komnenos, informing the Pope of the Seljuk Turks who had recently invaded Anatolia, which was once a part of the Byzantine Empire. Later that year on November 27, 1095, Pope Urban II gave a speech to the people. There is no manuscript of the speech, however it must have been very effective, as the people started to rally up others to join the fight to extrude the Seljuk Turks from the Christian’s holy land. Part of one of his speeches was, “I, or rather the Lord, beseech you as Christ's heralds to publish this everywhere and to perse all people of whatever rank, foot-soldiers and knights, poor and rich, to carry aid promptly to those Christians and to destroy that vile race from the lands of our friends. I say this to those who are present, it is meant also for those who are absent. Moreover, Christ commands it” (Urban, “Speech rallying people for the

Frederick I, Richard I, and Philip II all decided to lead the Crusade to recapture the Holy City of Jerusalem. The Crusaders cross Sephora to engage Saladin’s (the new leader of the Muslims) forces, however, the hot desert and lack of water defeated the Crusaders nearly the same amount as the Muslims. Gerard de Ridefort, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, and the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller are taken hostage, and ransomed. After this, Saladin takes Acre, Beirut, and Sidon easily. Saladin plans to attack Jerusalem, and moves to do as such. Defense of the Holy City is led by Balian of Ibelin, who had personally escaped from capture at Hattin. Saladin had given him permission to go into the city and get his wife and kids, the people had begged for him to stay to defend the city, however Saladin had promised his family safe voyage. He is credited as a honorable leader because of events such as this one. After five days of scouting the city, he began to batter down the walls, where on the latter days of September of 1187 Jerusalem was surrendered back to Muslim control. When Pope Gregory VIII heard of this news, he immediately called for a Third Crusade. Henry II and Philip II met with the Archbishop to discuss the retaking of Jerusalem. They agreed to partake in the retaking once again of the Holy City. They imposed a tax on everyone to fund the Crusades, this