Pope Urban II's Speech During The Crusades

The motive behind the crusades was the hunger for power and religious ideals and you can understand this to be concealed behind a façade

In 1095, the Pope Urban II conveyed his unsettlement over the Holy land through a speech to which was delivered to his supporters. Through the inspiring speech Pope expressed his concerns over the Turks having control over Jerusalem and appealed to the desires of all Christians everywhere that supporting this movement would at the least earn them a place in heaven. Countless individuals set out on the journey to reclaim the Holy Land they believed belonged in the hands of Christians and were propelled by the idea that they’d be rewarded for their acts, thus beginning the famous chain of religious wars.

Pope Urban II uses incredibly convincing language in his speech to appeal to his
audience's desires, which we can understand to be glory and rewards, but we do however have reason to believe that the Pope himself would have more personal gain moreover. With the speech persuading thousands of followers to fight and support the movement this would easily and instantly gain the Pope more and more power from the almost endless wave of incoming enthusiasts turning to the Pope for information on the Crusades. Participation in the series of wars would have given the Pope an increasing amount of influence over the expanding society.

Not only would the Pope have power to gain but reason to embark on the journey would be financial gain as well. Individuals had plenty of opportunities to enrich themselves by conquering small bits of land and taking from it any valuables. Stephen, Count of Blois and Chartres sent many enthusiastic letters back home to his wife telling all about the Crusaders progress and one particular letter stating that “[they] now have twice as much” more riches. This is very well not the only instance in which the crusaders gained much more loot on the voyage to Jerusalem.

The most well known incentive for the hundreds of thousands of men that actually fought in the Crusades was their longing for to earn themselves a cloud with God up in heaven.
Their idea was that if they fought for the “Holy Land” to come into Christian Possession all their sins will be wiped away and if they die during battle they’ll take their place in heaven. “On this account I, or rather the Lord, beseech you as knights, poor and rich, to carry aid promptly to those Christians and to destroy that vile race from the lands of our friends… Moreover, Christ commands it” (Pope Urban I, 1905) the Pope consistently refers to the name of God throughout the speech to urge followers to fight in the name of Christ. However, there really is no doubt that many of them didn’t do it in the name of the Lord they so loved and worship. “all these members of Christ, so different in speech, origin, and nationality, were suddenly brought together as one body through their love for Christ” (Hierosolymita, 1099)

In conclusion, the main motivation behind the Crusades is the multiple benefits towards several historical figures, power, money and religious
rewards.