pope urban iii

Though Pope Urban II promised a heaven for the Franks and expanded Christianity, I believe that his message was frightening rather than inspiring. I have come to this conclusion because in an ideal mind, a pope, a man of the church is thought to be pure and pious. However, Pope Urban II is in fact acting as a political leader, scheming and plotting against the Turks, under the façade of a pope.
In his appeal to the Franks, Pope Urban II begins his speech in an ominous and foreboding tone. This foreshadows the news he brings forth. He also praises the Franks and calls them the ones chosen by God. He does this to persuade them to go on the crusade. The grave news delivered by the pope is that Islamic forces have invaded Jerusalem and converted the churches into mosques. The Pope was distraught that the Christians’ sacred Jerusalem was just taken by the Turks and they did not do anything about it. Pope Urban II frowned upon the Turks as pagans. He calls them “enemies of God… whose hearts are not steadfast with God.” He also accuses them of enslaving and murdering the Christians.
Jerusalem, an equally holy place to the Christian and Islamic worlds was what Pope Urban II wanted back from the Muslims. By the end of the first crusade, he wanted to regain the “Kingdom of Christ” by taking back Jerusalem. Jerusalem was of essence to the Christian religion because it was the very place that Christ, their savior was crucified. To persuade the Franks to join the crusade, Pope Urban II told them that Jerusalem is a land flowing with milk and honey. He implied that whoever went on this crusade would become a lot wealthier. He also promised a ticket to heaven for whoever joined this crusade. The franks probably knew that, with all of the killing they do, they will probably not end up in heaven, so the promise from the pope really popped out to many. The wealth also appealed to them because in the middle ages, poverty reigned above all.
In Pope Urban II ‘s appeal to the