The Crusades: Exploring Pope Urban II's Speech and Its Impact

This report provides an analysis of Pope Urban II's speech and its significant role in initiating the Crusades. It examines the economic and religious factors that motivated the Christians to engage in the Holy War against the Muslims. The report highlights how Pope Urban II's speech appealed to the Christian warriors, promising spiritual rewards and forgiveness of sins, while also pointing to the wealth and resources of the Muslim-held lands as a key incentive. The study references the Monk’s version of the speech, emphasizing the context of limited resources and overpopulation within the Christian territories. It also explores the strategic use of the speech to mobilize the Knights of France and the impact of these factors on the historical events. The report includes a works cited section with relevant sources.

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Many reasons pressured the Christians from the West to take a dangerous path to fight
the Holy Land. Pope Urban’s speech was designed and delivered in such a way that it triggered
Christians to initiate the Holy war against Muslim believers. From the reading, there are some
outstanding economic reasons which incited the Christians to initiate the war against their
counterpart Muslims, all in the name of Christianity.
It is evident from the Monk’s version that Pope Urban used the Christian warriors to
initiate the Holy war, especially when through his statement that the Muslims were possessing a
holy land which was flourishing with wealth and that, the land was full of resources that assured
plenty food. What the Muslims possessed was such a huge landmass which was suitable for
habitation of the homeless Christians as well as providing an ideal environment to pursue their
economics endeavors to generate enough wealth (“Church History: Pope Urban II’s Speech
Calling for the First Crusade”, n.d.). According to the Pope’s speech, limited resources, high
population and insufficient food incited Christians into starting a Holy war against Muslims.
Apart from the economic reasons that eventually led Christians into starting war against Muslims
was the call by the Pope to the Knights of France to start the Holy War and from it “they will be
given unmeasured spiritual rewards- forgiveness of all their sins- giving them a chance to escape
the wrath of God in Hell, which is their likely place after living with violence and greed in this
world” (Philips, 2009).

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Works Cited
Church History: Pope Urban II’s Speech Calling for the First Crusade (n.d.). Spiritual Life.
CBN.Com. Retrieved November 26, 2017, from
http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/ChurchAndMinistry/ChurchHistory/Crusades_PopeUrb
anClermontSpeech.aspx
Phillips, J. (2009). The Call of the Crusades. History Today. Retrieved November 26, 2017, from
http://www.historytoday.com/jonathan-phillips/call-crusades