Motivations of the Crusaders
The crusades were a holy conquest primarily taken up in the hands of Europeans, at the request of a pious individual. They represent an incredibly prominent era of world history. An era of political conflicts, both internal and external. However, very often the motivations for the different groups active in these conflicts are ignored, or manifest in an oversimplification of the truth.
The first crusade, which was initiated by Pope Urban II in response to the request by the Byzantine emperor Alexius Commenus, saw many European feudal kingdoms committed vast numbers of troops in the name of god. Most notably Aquitaine and Normandy, England, Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, Galicia, Gascony, France, Flanders, Lorraine, …show more content…
Civil war, famine, and sickness had visited them often in the preceding years. Most other ethnic groups, such as those from Normandy, France, and Brittany were motivated by a promise of eternal life, and salvation. A gift that was promised to them by Pope Urban II himself, in his original call to arms. However, there were other stipulations to his message. “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. ‘Everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.” (Robert the Monk, 2) Pope Urban made clear that this war was in a sense, and requirement for all able European men to peruse. Those who stayed behind in the interest of family, were told they would not inherit the kingdom of heaven. This is both similar, and different from Pope Eugenius’ call to the second crusade. He reaffirmed Pope Urbans promise that all who left their homes, and joined in the conquest of Edessa would be given eternal life. However, he did not explicitly claim that those who did not join would not inherit the Kingdome of god. This difference may be what led to the second crusade to eventually fail
The crusades were a holy conquest primarily taken up in the hands of Europeans, at the request of a pious individual. They represent an incredibly prominent era of world history. An era of political conflicts, both internal and external. However, very often the motivations for the different groups active in these conflicts are ignored, or manifest in an oversimplification of the truth.
The first crusade, which was initiated by Pope Urban II in response to the request by the Byzantine emperor Alexius Commenus, saw many European feudal kingdoms committed vast numbers of troops in the name of god. Most notably Aquitaine and Normandy, England, Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, Galicia, Gascony, France, Flanders, Lorraine, …show more content…
Civil war, famine, and sickness had visited them often in the preceding years. Most other ethnic groups, such as those from Normandy, France, and Brittany were motivated by a promise of eternal life, and salvation. A gift that was promised to them by Pope Urban II himself, in his original call to arms. However, there were other stipulations to his message. “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. ‘Everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.” (Robert the Monk, 2) Pope Urban made clear that this war was in a sense, and requirement for all able European men to peruse. Those who stayed behind in the interest of family, were told they would not inherit the kingdom of heaven. This is both similar, and different from Pope Eugenius’ call to the second crusade. He reaffirmed Pope Urbans promise that all who left their homes, and joined in the conquest of Edessa would be given eternal life. However, he did not explicitly claim that those who did not join would not inherit the Kingdome of god. This difference may be what led to the second crusade to eventually fail