In 1095, an order for Christendom to fight for the Holy Land was issued from Pope Urban II. This preceded what was to become many years of Holy War. Christians were challenged to recapture the Holy Land and push back the infidels. Some historians see the Crusades as part of a defensive war against Islamic invasion, some see them as part of a conflict at the borders of Europe, and others see them as aggressive, papal driven expansion efforts by Western Christendom. I believe the Crusades were a mixture of several different motivations and causes. The response to the Pope’s call at Clermont was the result of a combination of religious passion and social practicality; instigated by an aggressive papacy and a call for help from the Byzantium emperor.
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The Crusaders consisted of a “volunteer” army summoned by the Pope. The army represented all classes of society. Pope Urban II encouraged Christendom to go to war for the Holy Lands in Jerusalem. This was a period of great religious passion, which is part of the reason why the mass of humanity felt the need to embark on such a journey.
In 1095, the Byzantine Empire was in trouble. An invasion of Turks had seized control of the Byzantine land in Asia Minor and was starting to threaten the city of Constantinople. The Byzantine emperor, Alexius Comnenus, wanted to reconquer this lost territory, so he wrote a letter to the pope asking for help. When the Byzantine Empire appealed to Western Christendom for help, the Pope may have recognized that if the Byzantine Empire fell, the rest of Europe could be …show more content…
The rise of a reform movement within the papacy was intense at this time. The structure of the Church, as well as its desire for political power, permitted for the easy delivery of Urban’s message through Europe. The reforming Papacy was aggressive, moral authority came in the form of the Catholic Church itself. Urban promoted the struggle of Western Christians against the Muslims who had occupied the Holy Land and were attacking the Eastern Roman Empire. This armed pilgrimage against Muslim forces was partially the result of persuasive preaching and assertive manipulation by an aggressive Papacy, as well as the catalyzing effect of Alexius’ letter of
The Crusaders consisted of a “volunteer” army summoned by the Pope. The army represented all classes of society. Pope Urban II encouraged Christendom to go to war for the Holy Lands in Jerusalem. This was a period of great religious passion, which is part of the reason why the mass of humanity felt the need to embark on such a journey.
In 1095, the Byzantine Empire was in trouble. An invasion of Turks had seized control of the Byzantine land in Asia Minor and was starting to threaten the city of Constantinople. The Byzantine emperor, Alexius Comnenus, wanted to reconquer this lost territory, so he wrote a letter to the pope asking for help. When the Byzantine Empire appealed to Western Christendom for help, the Pope may have recognized that if the Byzantine Empire fell, the rest of Europe could be …show more content…
The rise of a reform movement within the papacy was intense at this time. The structure of the Church, as well as its desire for political power, permitted for the easy delivery of Urban’s message through Europe. The reforming Papacy was aggressive, moral authority came in the form of the Catholic Church itself. Urban promoted the struggle of Western Christians against the Muslims who had occupied the Holy Land and were attacking the Eastern Roman Empire. This armed pilgrimage against Muslim forces was partially the result of persuasive preaching and assertive manipulation by an aggressive Papacy, as well as the catalyzing effect of Alexius’ letter of