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Urban II's Crusade Call

Type Event Region Europe Time 1095

On November 27, 1095, Pope Urban II addressed French knights and the populace during the Council of Clermont, calling for an armed pilgrimage to reca…

Timeline

  1. 1095Clermont · AuvergneBefore the Council of Clermont, Urban II had learned of Byzantine Emperor Alexios I's appeal for aid and the pressure of Seljuk Turks on Eastern Christians, using the Eastern situation as a key argument for calling an armed eastern crusade.
  2. 1095Sermon site outside Clermont · AuvergneUrban II addressed the assembled knights, clergy, and populace, denouncing the oppression of Eastern Christians, promising remission of sins and spiritual reward, and calling for an armed eastern crusade bearing the cross. The audience cried out "Deus vult" (God wills it), and crusade mobilization began.
  3. 1095–1096France · FranceAfter the sermon, several nobles swore on the spot to join the eastern crusade, and Urban II set the departure date as after August 15 of the following year. The call quickly spread through the network of bishops and clergy, becoming the direct political and religious mobilization order for the First Crusade.

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