13-008 The Crusades III
Friday Jan 27, 2012
Lead: On November 27, 1095, Pope Urban II delivered a sermon in Clermont, France. It must have been stirring because it triggered three centuries of violence and conflict in the Middle East – the Crusades.
Intro.: A Moment in Time with Dan Roberts.
Content: Church leaders had gathered in the central French city of Clermont for a church council. Byzantine Emperor Alexius I had issued a call for western help in checking the advance of the Seljuk Turks, a nomadic tribe who had swept from their central Asian homeland in the 11th century, converted to Islam and had recently conquered much Byzantine territory.
The actual text of the Urban’s sermon does not survive, though several accounts emerged in later years with varying themes. All seem to agree it was a passionate narrative and was enthusiastically received. The crowd in and outside of the Cathedral were reported to have shouted “Deus lo volt” or God wills it.
Apparently the pope urged European Christians to unite by “taking the cross” on a military pilgrimage to defend eastern Christians of the Byzantine Empire against further advance of Muslim rule. The pope encouraged liberation of the Holy Land, particularly Jerusalem, long under Islamic control. He offered an indulgence or full remission or forgiveness of sin to those willing to make the pilgrimage. The speech was persuasive and appealed to people of all backgrounds. The movement spread rapidly through Europe. By the following year waves of Crusaders were beginning the long trek of crusaders began a journey to the east.
Research assistance by Ann Johnson.
At the University of Richmond, this is Dan Roberts.
Resources
Bull, Marcus. The Pilgrimage Origins of the First Crusade. History Today 47( 3, March 1997): 10-16.
Cartlidge, Cherese. The Crusades: Failed Holy Wars. San Diego: Lucent Books, 2002.
“Crusades." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. 15 Dec. 2006
Ridley, Jonathan. The Oxford Illustrated History of The Crusades. Oxford, New York, 1995.
Tyerman, Christopher. The Crusades. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
Cartlidge, Cherese. The Crusades: Failed Holy Wars. San Diego: Lucent Books, 2002.
Copyright 2012 by Daniel M. Roberts, Jr.
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