Why did Urban II want to launch the First Crusade?

Question 1

The crusade as a means to aid Eastern
Christians: What event in 1071 led to Christians in Anatolia coming under Muslim rule?

Answer 1

The defeat at Manzikert.

Question 2

The crusade as a means to aid Eastern
Christians: What promise did Gregory VII make in 1074 regarding military aid?

Answer 2

He promised to bring military aid to Michael VII to help avenge Manzikert.

Question 3

The crusade as a means to aid Eastern
Christians: What action did Alexius I take in 1090 regarding Urban II?

Answer 3

He began to seek improved relations with Urban II.

Question 4

The crusade as a means to aid Eastern
Christians: What was the state of relations between Alexius I and Urban II before 1090?

Answer 4

Relations were poor due to papal excommunication of Michael VII’s successors.

Question 5

The crusade as a means to aid Eastern
Christians: What significant request did Alexius I make to Urban II?

Answer 5

He sent a letter requesting aid n March 1095

Question 6

The crusade as a means to aid Eastern
Christians: Where did Urban II receive Alexius I’s request for aid?

Answer 6

At Piacenza.

Question 7

The crusade as a means to aid Eastern Christians: In what speech did Urban II express his desire to aid Byzantium?

Answer 7

His speech at Clermont in November 1095.

Question 8

The crusade as a means to aid Eastern
Christians (limitations): What was a limitation regarding the urgency of the papacy’s intervention by 1095?

Answer 8

Manzikert was a distant memory, occurring nearly 25 years earlier.

Question 9

The crusade as a means to aid Eastern Christians: What was the impact of Gregory VII’s excommunication on Michael VII’s successors?

Answer 9

It contributed to poor relations with the papacy.

Question 10

The crusade as a sincere means to recapture Jerusalem: Why was Jerusalem central to Christian faith?

Answer 10

Jerusalem and the Holy Sepulchre were utterly central to Christian faith, and the idea of restoring them to Christian control had never fully been abandoned.

Question 11

The crusade as a sincere means to recapture Jerusalem: What would control over Jerusalem add to the papacy?

Answer 11

Control over the Holy City, which was central to faith and one of the seats of the ancient Pentarchy, would have greatly added to the prestige of the papacy.

Question 12

The crusade as a sincere means to recapture Jerusalem: What disrupted the Great German Pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1064-65?

Answer 12

The Great German Pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1064-65 was seriously disrupted by attacks from the Seljuk Turks.

Question 13

The crusade as a sincere means to recapture Jerusalem: What was the risk for pilgrimages to Jerusalem after 1064-65?

Answer 13

All pilgrimages from this point onwards through the 1070s and 1080s were at a heightened risk of attack, which was a growing problem up to 1095.

Question 14

The crusade as a sincere means to recapture Jerusalem: Who controlled Jerusalem by 1071?

Answer 14

Jerusalem had fallen into the hands of the Seljuk Turks in 1071, who were far less tolerant of Christian pilgrims than the Fatimids had been.

Question 15

The crusade as a sincere means to recapture Jerusalem: What did Urban II express in his speech at Clermont in 1095?

Answer 15

Urban II’s desire to recapture Jerusalem, and the Holy Sepulchre specifically, is referenced in his speech at Clermont in November 1095.

Question 16

The crusade as a sincere means to recapture Jerusalem: What made the recapture of Jerusalem urgent for the papacy?

Answer 16

The growing apocalyptic expectation associated with the coming of the year 1100 made the recapture of the Holy City more urgent to the papacy than normal.

Question 17

The crusade as a sincere means to recapture Jerusalem (limitation): How long had Jerusalem been in Muslim hands by 1095?

Answer 17

Jerusalem had been in Muslim hands for 457 years by 1095 (since 638 AD) so it’s not a top priority.

Question 18

The crusade as a sincere means to recapture Jerusalem (limitation): What did Urban II urge some would-be crusaders in Spain?

Answer 18

Urban II wrote to some would-be crusaders in Spain urging them not to travel to Jerusalem but to fight Muslims in their own lands.

Question 19

The crusade as a means to curb Christian violence and redirect against Muslims: What movements did the popes support to limit violence between Christians?

Answer 19

The Peace and Truce of God movements.

Question 20

The crusade as a means to curb Christian violence and redirect against Muslims: What is the Peace of God?

Answer 20

A movement that restricted attacks against certain types of people.

Question 21

The crusade as a means to curb Christian violence and redirect against Muslims: What is the Truce of God?

Answer 21

A movement that restricted attacks during certain times.

Question 22

The crusade as a means to curb Christian violence and redirect against Muslims: How did the concept of Just War evolve during this period?

Answer 22

It developed into a concept of Holy War, particularly before the First Crusade.

Question 23

The crusade as a means to curb Christian violence and redirect against Muslims: What significant capture did Christian states achieve in 1085?

Answer 23

The capture of Toledo.

Question 24

The crusade as a means to curb Christian violence and redirect against Muslims: What was the papacy’s role in the conquest of Sicily?

Answer 24

The papacy allied with the Normans and supported their conquest from Muslims in the 1070s e.g. capture of Palermo (1072).

Question 25

The crusade as a means to curb Christian violence and redirect against Muslims: What was Urban II's desire expressed in his speech at Clermont in 1095?

Answer 25

To limit violence between Christians and redirect it against a common Muslim enemy.

Question 26

The crusade as a means to curb Christian violence and redirect against Muslims (limitations): What limitation is noted regarding the purpose of the crusade?

Answer 26

There were other outlets for Christian violence in Spain and Sicily, suggesting the crusade may not have been solely for this purpose.

Question 27

The crusade as a means to enhance papal power: What was the investiture controversy?

Answer 27

The investiture controversy rumbled on through the 1070s and 1080s, with popes seeking ways to defeat Emperor Henry IV.

Question 28

The crusade as a means to enhance papal power: What were milites Christi?

Answer 28

Milites Christi were knights working directly for the Pope, serving as a means of gaining military backing.

Question 29

The crusade as a means to enhance papal power: How can the crusade be seen in relation to papal power?

Answer 29

The crusade can be seen as an extension of papal power, aiming for Christendom under papal control as a logical extension of Dictatus Papae.

Question 30

The crusade as a means to enhance papal power: What was the Great Schism of 1054?

Answer 30

The Great Schism of 1054 was a division between Western (Latin) and Greek Christians.

Question 31

The crusade as a means to enhance papal power: What was the papacy's aspiration in the 1070s and 1080s?

Answer 31

The papacy aspired to heal the Great Schism while positioning the Western Church in a dominant role.

Question 32

The crusade as a means to enhance papal power: What were the sees of the Pentarchy?

Answer 32

The sees of the Pentarchy included Antioch, Alexandria, and especially Jerusalem, which were under Muslim control.

Question 33

The crusade as a means to enhance papal power: What was the purpose of an army of liberation?

Answer 33

An army of liberation aimed to convince Eastern Christians to reconcile with the Western Church and acknowledge papal supremacy.

Question 34

The crusade as a means to enhance papal power: Who was to lead the crusade?

Answer 34

The crusade was to be under papal authority, challenging the traditional view that only the emperor led Christian armies.

Question 35

The crusade as a means to enhance papal power: What opportunity did Henry IV's military weakness present?

Answer 35

Henry IV's military weakness in the 1090s presented an opportunity for the papacy to assume military leadership of Christendom.

Question 36

The crusade as a means to enhance papal power (limitation): Is there evidence of papal motivation in Urban II's speech at Clermont?

Answer 36

There is no mention of this motivation in accounts of Urban II’s speech at Clermont.