Pope Urban II's Contributions To The Battle Of The Crusades
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The Crusades were a series of holy wars that were driven on the basis of military power , land expansion and the manipulation of religious beliefs. The European Christians felt that Jerusalem was being infected by the Muslim inhabitants. Running on the fuel of greed, western world superiority and cultural ignorance they managed to pierce through the sacred grown of Christians , Muslims and Jews. The Europeans were able to establish kingdoms in Syria , because they used military and religious tactics to aggressively conquer those lands. What lead to their demise is that the Muslim forces retaliated and gained a stronger defense mechanism. The indigenous populations of Syria felt angered, because these invaders from the western world were wreaking havoc amongst their homeland. During the time leading up the Cruades , the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I, pleaded with Pope Urban II to assist him in saving Jerusalem from the hands of the Muslims. The Pope was informed of the plea and agreed to join in this task, however he opted to do this based on his own agenda. On 27th November , 1095 Pope Urban II delivered his speech amongst the general public…show more content… The Council gave the Pope permission to carry through with his request. A red cross was used to symbolize the group of god fearing men , and Bishop Adhemar from Le Puy was chosen as the spiritual leader of this journey. As the pope stayed in southern France , the news of the crusade spread to the northern region. Although the movement was spreading at a rapid pace , the church promptly lost control over it . The calling of the cross was now in the hands of all men including preachers of a lower social standing. The Pope was taken aback , for he did not expect men of various social backgrounds to join the war , he only meant for the knights to face the Turkish armies . “God himself would lead them , for they would be doing His work.”