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The Crusades

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The Crusades

In the High Middle Ages, Europe felt the pressure of the growing Muslim states to the south and southeast. When the Palestine was captured by the Seljuk Turks, the Byzantium Emperor at Constantinople requested assistance from the West. This requested sparked the Crusades, a Holy war with a goal of reclaiming Jerusalem. Several sources written about the Crusades offer a better understanding of the inspiration that fueled them and the circumstances surrounding them. Pope Urban II’s Speech at Council of Clermont and Albert of Aix: History of Hierosolymita provide great details surrounding the Crusades.
Pope Urban II addressed the Christians in a distinguished Speech at Council of Clermont. It was an inspiring effort intended to encourage the Greeks to rise and defeat the Muslim invaders. The text of his speech was not conserved but Robert the Monk provided a descriptive recount of Urban’s motivational speech.
But if you are hindered by love of children, parents and wives, remember what the Lord says in the Gospel, " "Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my name's sake shall receive an hundredfold and shall inherit everlasting life."
According to Robert the Monk, Pope Urban II uses multiple quotes from the Book of Matthew to help convince to the Christians to leave their families behind and join the Crusade. He explains that the Lord has offered eternal life for those that join this Crusade. This reason alone may have been enough to inspire the Christians to join the Crusades.
When Pope Urban had said these and very many similar things in his urbane discourse, he so influenced to one purpose the desires of all who were present, that they cried out, "It is the will of God! It is the will of God!"
This portion of Robert the Monk’s recount is informative. As Pope

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- Hosted by Nahda Media -
 2 Not Synced 
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