November 27th 1095: First Crusade launched
On this day in 1095, Pope Urban II launched the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont. Urban was a student of the famous reformer Pope Gregory VII, and also devoted his papcy to internal reforms of the Church. However, the presence of Muslim Turks in the Holy City of Jerusalem, who barred Christian pilgrims from the city and threatened war with the Christian Byzantine Empire, became the pressing issue of the day. The Council of Clermont, made up of clerics and nobles, was gathered to discuss what to do about the Holy Land. At the end of the council, on November 27th, the Pope gave a speech calling for the forceful reclaiming of the Holy Land by a united European army to aid fellow Christians in the East. Inspired by the pope’s promise of absolution of sins, hundreds of thousands of people volunteered to travel towards Jerusalem for the holy war. Two weeks after the death of Pope Urban II in 1099, the armies captured Jerusalem after a month long siege. Upon the fall of Jerusalem, the Crusaders massacred much of Jerusalem’s population, with some contemporary sources claiming the blood in the streets reached the Crusaders’ ankles and even the bridles of their horses. This grisly scene was characteristic of the Crusades which followed the first, most of which revolved around religious struggles for the Holy Land or against alleged Christian ‘heretics’.
“Christians, hasten to help your brothers in the East, for they are being attacked. Arm for the rescue of Jerusalem under your captain Christ. Wear his cross as your badge. If you are killed your sins will be pardoned.” - Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont
