Crusade for a Crusade

This post is a synopsis of Loren Rosson III's blog entitled From Soldiers of Hell to Soldiers of Christ: Exporting Violence. In the author’s post there is a great summary of the First Crusade and information about Pope Urban II's actions. In the blog are quotations from Robert the Monk such as "Rise up, then, Christian warriors: you who continually and vainly seek pretexts for war, rejoice, for you have today found a true pretext." This almost gives evidence that Pope Urban's message was a violent call to arms rather then a suggested religous pilgrimage.

This idea that Pope Urban II was just an opportunist and wanted the Holy Land for all of Christendom is not so far fetched of an idea. Urban II was presented with a really good opportunity to recapture the Holy Lands when the Byzantine emperor Alexius I called for the church’s help. Seeing that the church acted upon this opportunity is evidence that recapturing the Holy Land was on the church's agenda. Why not expand Chritendom a little?

From his persuasive speech to his calling for more troops in the Holy Land, Pope Urban II showed little characteristics of a Pope and more characteristics of a general. He threatened armies with Excommunication to fight for The Crusades. The actions of the pope are by far the most important in The Crusades invention. Pope Urban used many different reasons for The Crusades including Muslim’s unrightfully controlling the Holy Lands, Muslim’s ill treatment of Christians, and the ever so famous “God Wills It!”

Works Cited:
http://lorenrosson.blogspot.com/2006/11/from-soldiers-of-hell-to-soldiers-of.html