Pope Urban 2 Essay

Christians have gone on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, dating back as early as the 4th century as an act of devotion or penance. The Holy Land, also known as the city of Jerusalem, had been under Muslim control since 638, but in 1095, the Byzantine Empire began to face trouble when an invasion of Turks seized control of the Byzantine holdings in Asia Minor. The Byzantine emperor, Alexius Comnenus, felt threatened and feared the Turks would take over his capital, Constantinople. Alexius Comnenus wrote to Pope Urban II asking for help. In response to this letter, Pope Urban II spoke and spread his message in a way that influenced the Western Christians from all backgrounds. The message prompted Western Christians to take action and show support
While there is no official account of the words spoken at the Sermon of Pope Urban II, there are five versions that depict the same common themes he addressed to noblemen and clergy, which then spread. Looking at Fulcher of Chartres’s version, a French monk and historian of the First Crusade, one of Urban II’s approaches of captivating his audience was by urging the people to help put a stop to the persecution of their Christian brothers living in the East. In this speech he calls out, “Freshly quickened by the divine correction, you must apply the strength of your righteousness to another matter which concerns you as well as God. For your brethren who live in the east are in urgent need of your help, and you must hasten to give them the aid which has often been promised them.” Medieval Europeans were comfortable with the idea of fighting for family members, and this helped form the idea that fighting and killing is not sinful as long as it is promoting greater peace. Urban II used this to quell the fears that “thou shall not kill” does not apply when they are fighting those of evil, and to promote brotherhood and unity among
Urban II goes on to declare the reward of plenary indulgences, a remission of the entire temporal punishment for sin, for any who undertook the Crusade. He says, "All who die by the way, whether by land or by sea, or in battle against the pagans, shall have immediate remission of sins. This I grant them through the power of God with which I am invested.” Such a promise moved the audience. He made the people believe that this new kind of war was so righteous that God himself commanded it and would grant remission of sins to those who died fighting it. This piece of his sermon was especially effective because prior to the First Crusade, the Christian faith “dominated and dictated everyday life to an extent that can seem almost inconceivable to a modern observer attuned to the attitudes and preconceptions increasingly secularized contemporary society”. This religious fervor perpetuated the “overwhelming anxiety: the danger of sin.” One could say Pope Urban II used the selfish desires of people, mainly referring to the desire of physical safety and comfort as well as spiritual repentance and salvation, in an attempt to convince people to join the Crusade. This was ironic because at the same time, these were the desires that he preached