Urban called for a Crusade due to the
oppression of Christians under Muslim
rule in the East. The Crusade was
promoted as a spiritual penance and
through saving the Christian brothers
you would be rewarded with a place in
heaven.
Not only did Urban want to rescue the oppressed
Christians, he wanted to rescue Jerusalem as well. In
the medieval era Jerusalem was referred to as "the
navel of the world" and the point of greatest connection
between man and God. Urban used Jerusalem as the
focal point for the launching of the First Crusade,
everything in the city was sacred and had to be saved
from the Turks who were living sinful lives.
PAPAL SUPREMACY:
Pope Urban wanted to be seen as a
powerful influence within Christendom
and wanted to use the Crusade to
enhance his papal authority as part of
the investiture contest with the German
Emperor. Urban saw the Crusade as not
only necessary to support fellow
Christians but a chance to demonstrate
his position within the Church and
establish his own papal supremacy.
AID BYZANTIUM:
The Byzantine Emperor, Alexius Comnenus, had requested for help at
the council of Piacenza in March 1095. He needed help to defend his
lands against his Arab and Turkish enemies who had been advancing
on the Roman Empire from all sides. Alexius wanted to regain the land
lost at the battle of Manzikert in 1071, Anatolia, but needed much more
support so called upon his fellow Christians. Furthermore, the
Byzantines were being faced with the option of converting or be killed.
Urban felt it was his responsibility as Pope to call a Crusade to stop
Christians in the East being massacred.
TO REUNITE THE EAST AND WEST CHRISTIANS:
In 1054 there was the largest split within the Church that had
ever occurred in the history of Christendom, The Great
Schism, where the East (Greek) had broken away from the
West (Latin) due to ecclesiastical differences and who had
true claim to Christian supremacy. Through deciding to
launch a crusade following the request for help from the
Byzantine emperor we can see that Pope Urban may have
been trying to reunite the two branches of Christianity, Urban
also referred to those in the East in need of help as “brothers
in Christ”.