Pope Urban II’s Speech

Pope Urban II was the head of the Roman Catholic Church from 1088 to 1099, during a period when Muslim Turks had ruled Asia Minor for over 20 years. It is understood by historians that Urban II inspired the Crusades to reconquer Jerusalem during his speech at the Council of Clermont–yet no one actually knows what he said or if he even specifically mentioned Jerusalem in his speech (Armstrong, 271). 

The Church was split throughout Pope Urban II’s rule. Urban II believed in the Gregorian reforms and opposed the monarchical claim of the Holy Roman Emperor to control ecclesiastical appointments (simony and investiture). Urban II’s predecessor, Pope Gregory VII, was excommunicated by Emperor Henry IV for his reform beliefs and Henry IV appointed Clement III as the new pope (Great Schism). In response, Pope Gregory excommunicated Henry IV back in retaliation and refused to step down (Great Schism). Like Pope Gregory VII, Urban II spent his entire papacy disputing Church doctrine with the antipope Clement III and trying to unify the Church and Byzantine Empire to restore his religious and political power. 

When Pope Urban II gave his speech at the Council of Clermont, he had been asked by the Holy Roman Emperor to provide military support to continue the battle against the Turkomans (Armstrong, 271). With a specific ask from the Holy Roman Emperor, Urban II likely used his speech to show support for the emperor, make a case for Christian unity rather than destructive in-fighting, and cement himself as the reason the emperor regained the historical boundaries of the empire. Inspiring Western Christians to fight for the Holy Roman Empire against the Seljuk Turks just might help heal the Schism in the Church and reestablish his political power. 

In all of the ancient sources, Pope Urban II noted that the Turks had desecrated Christian churches and holy sites and called on Catholics to aid Christians to the East by reconquering Turkish land (242). Whether or not Jerusalem was mentioned, Urban II’s political ambitions were at the heart of his speech and the result was a catastrophe. It might have improved the status of Urban II and the Byzantine Empire in the short run, but it solidified the Schism of the Church and had drastic effects on the future relations of the Abrahamic religions.  

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/1834642.pdf?refreqid=fastly-default%3Ac04ba0453c661fe5222da08f2391d4ff&ab_segments=&origin=&initiator=&acceptTC=1

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/24406851.pdf?refreqid=fastly-default%3A9add8b951bb9566eca0aeaf795206413&ab_segments=&origin=&initiator=&acceptTC=1 

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/great-schism/