The First Crusade Sparknotes

The Crusades were a number of military expeditions by Europeans of the Christian faith attempting to recover the Holy Land, Jerusalem, which was then controlled by the powerful Muslim Empire. In his book People of The First Crusade, Michael Foss an independent historian tells the story of the first Crusade in vivid detail illustrating the motives behind this historic event, and what had really occurred towards the end of the eleventh century. The Christian lands of Western Europe were slowly deteriorating from invasions of the North, and the passing of corrupt laws from within the clergy and the high lords. However, these were not the only challenges those of European Christian faith had to face. Islam strengthened after the conversion of the

Seljuk Turks leading to the defeat of the Byzantine army in 1071 at Manzikurt, enhancing a threat to all of Christianity itself otherwise known as Christiandome. Following the defeat in Manzakurt, Foss states, “It was apparent that a new strong, unpredictable Muslim power threatened, not just the road of the Holy Land, but part of Christiandome itself,” leading to the appeals from the Byzantium Emperor Alexius Comnenus.

Although there was no compassionate relationship between the “eastern and western branches of Christianity,” Pope Urban II of Europe was aware of the Islamic threat to the Byzantium Empire and was subject to support the eastern branch after he heard about the oppression forced on his fellow Christians. In November of 1095, Foss Claims, “Pope Urban II was determined to save the honour and the soul of Europe.” Throughout his book Foss identifies the persuasive speech at the Council of Claremont, the siege of Antioch, and Capture of the Holy

Land.
Shortly after Pope Urban II was aware of the Seljuk Turks re-invigorating the forces of Islam, Pope Urban II gathered in the market-square to announce the duties of a Christian fellowship and the obligation to protect the true faith of Christiandome.

Foss explains, “What Urban needed was an enterprise, clearly virtuous in serving the ends of Christiandome… in these moments of reflection, the popes mind turned towards Jerusalem.” Urban II reflects back on the first taking of the Holy City after the defeat of the Byzantine Empire in 1071, and begins to question what his people know about the Turkish race and really the ideology of Islamic thought. Foss goes on to examine the ignorance of westerners and needed to be “reminded [by the pope] of the infamous heathens, their cruelty and hatred of Christians,” hoping this would justify the first Holy Crusade. However, Foss identifies the creativity of the Pope’s language to persuade the knights and army of the people to embark on the Holy Crusade based on the Muslims cruel actions turned onto their fellow Christians. Claiming the Muslims “Killed captives by torture…poor captives were whipped…and others were bound to the post and used as a target for arrows.” Foss examines the Popes words as an effective effort of persuasion in creating an army of crusaders to help clean “…Holy places, which are now treated with ignominy and polluted with Filthiness” and any sacrifice in Jerusalem is a “promise of a spiritual reward… and death for

Christ in Jerusalem would be a beautiful thing.” During the pope’s speech at the Council of Claremont, Foss envisions persuasive wording by the pope to the Western people, justifying the act to aid the Greek Christians of Byzantine under threat from the Islamic Turks. During his speech Pope Urban II turned to the creative thought emphasizing on the savagery of the Muslims and violence they enforced onto their fellow people of Christiandome. Foss noticed Pope Urbans II vision of the beauties of Jerusalem offering what the Holy City had for its people, and the spiritual reward the city carried itself. In fact, the Popes persuasive council was successful as Foss states “thousands of men rich and poor began to prepare for the hard task the Pope had set out for them,” and now saw themselves as “ heroes of God and guardians of Jerusalem.”