Pope Urban II speech Essay

The First Crusade

The First Crusade is thought to have originated with an address given by Pope Urban II in November 1095 at Clermont. The audience was moved by the pope’s emotional appeal during his address, which made them realize they needed to take action in response to the injustices he described. For example, after hearing the speech, European Christians felt compelled to take action by traveling to the Holy Land to battle for what the Pope considered to be “defending the religion.” (Halsall).

The Pope’s Views

Notably, the Pope expresses his views that the Christians from the West were chosen by God, and therefore, it was their mandate to fight to keep their religion pure and safe from the impending threats. As a result, by mentioning that the land belongs to them, the chosen and holy ones, the Christians from the West feel compelled to start the war on the intruders, pushing them to set off the journey to the Holy Land so that they can drive out the non-believers.

Retaking Jerusalem

As a matter of fact, the Pope informs the audience that the Christians had contended with the non-believers who had not set their hearts right with God, and therefore, it was necessary for them to be driven out so that Jerusalem can be salvaged from the nonbelievers who had overtaken her. About Jerusalem, the Pope notes that “desires to be liberated” (Halsall). The speech further indicates that the nonbelievers who had overtaken the Holy Land had done so by fire and pilgrimage and therefore, to retake the Holy Land, the Christians were supposed to follow the footsteps of their ancestors through their deeds. The Christians were to take what was rightfully theirs, through the necessary means, including violent invasion so as to take over their promised land because it was the will of God.

Protecting the Faith

Furthermore, the Christians would feel compelled to fight because the Pope presented the real picture of how their religion and faith was being threatened. The speech not only informed the Christians of the tragedy that had befallen Jerusalem but also reminding them of their obligation to God as Christians. In fact, the Pope makes a remark that the nonbelievers were responsible for the destruction of the altars which were considered to be the holy places of worship. Therefore, the Christians felt the urge to fight and protect their religion against the destruction and defiling by the nonbelievers which brought about uncleanliness at the altars.

Fighting for Freedom

The Pope further points out that the Christians in the East were facing persecution from the nonbelievers. The nonbelievers had destroyed the churches in the region and had taken over the worship places for their rites that were unclean according to the Christian faith. Thus, the Christians were compelled to fight for their course so as to free their fellow Christians, besides atoning for their sins. Since the Christians were living in a confined land blocked by the seas and mountain peaks, the Pope tells them that the land would not take care of the ever-growing population. Therefore, it was imperative for the nonbelievers to be driven away so that the Christians can settle in Jerusalem, which is the center of the earth and “flows with milk and honey” as the scripture says (Halsall).

Work Cited

Halsall, Paul. “Medieval Sourcebook: Urban II: Speech At Clermont 1095 (Robert The Monk Version)”. Sourcebooks.Fordham.Edu, 2017, https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/urban2a.html.