Summary Of Pope Urban II At The Council Of Clermont

In the speech given by Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont, he focuses on several topics. He reminds the clergymen of their duties to glorify God and lead their flock. He complains about the fighting the Frankish Christians are doing among themselves. He admonishes his audience to remember and live up to the level of faith their ancestors showed. He, also, made several points about the challenges in the East and why the Franks should become involved.
• The fight for Christianity in the East is vastly important than unjust war the Franks wage again each other. God sanctions the battle to remove the Turks from sacred cities.
• Christian men should unite and go to the aid of their brothers in the East. Do not let the torturous atrocities
continue.
• Men who fight honorably will obtain eternal glory.
• Those at home, who are unable to participate, must pray for victory and support the mission. First, the Pope tells the Christians that it is sinful to fight among themselves.
There is no glory in pillaging and hurting each other. Urban informs the group about the injustices the barbarians are casting upon the Christians in Jerusalem and Constantinople. The Pope reports the torture of the faithful Christians and the burning of holy sites. These barbarians use Christian churches to worship pagan gods. Christians must purify the lands that God has called the navel of the world, according to the version of Robert the Monk. Urban II petitioned the knights and other able-bodied men to go into the holy Christian lands defend their brothers. The war against the infidels is a holy and just war. God has given this mission his blessing. The Fulcher of Charles version stated, “Christ commands it”
. According to Robert the Monk, the Franks should mend fences, unite, and fight the real enemy.
The Antichrist will do battle with Christians . He will take over the Holy Land and reign over Jerusalem as though he was ruler of all people. Guibert de Nogent noted the Pope considered the Devil as the leader of the Turks and Christians must put a stop to his evil handiwork. The faithful people are suffering unthinkable misery. Therefore, if Christians let these injustices continue then they will be a party to the atrocities and lose their salvation. It is the duty of every faithful Christian to fight the pagans and remove them from the Holy Land. The cleansing of the Holy City, with God’s help, is their charge. The Pope appoints Adhmar, the Bishop of Puy, as the leader of the crusade and commands that all soldiers obey the Bishop . Adhamar will be Urban’s extended arm and the pope trusts his judgment. According to Urban’s Letter of Instruction, the army will leave on the day of the Assumption of the Blessed Mary. All those who volunteers should join the Bishop. This great army includes cooks, hunters, weapon makers, tailors, and stable men. It takes a lot of planning and logistics to move an army of men thousands of miles and keep them supplied. Those who take part must be very devoted to retaking the land for God’s glory. The Muslim’s goal is to take over the Christian lands. The Pope stated it would be travesty for the barbarians conquered all God’s
people. The Pope promised rewards in heaven to the warriors. This crusade is a chance to redeem themselves and become knights. He continues to rally the troops, by saying, if the soldiers fight honorably and die, God will forgive their sins. Salvation will be theirs’ and they will obtain rewards on earth. Many of these soldiers probably had a full ledger of sins in need of exoneration and the thought of earthly treasure was certainly appealing. Each soldier should wear “the sigh of the cross” on his clothing or head to signify his commitment to the cause. Only fit men and women may go, and, they must have the blessing of their local clergy. The Gerta version of the speech states that if any soldier does not have the means to fund his mission then God will provide the resources. The pontiff reminds them that if they return home without a victory that God will deny the heavenly rewards promised to them. The Pope questions their faithfulness when he asks if they think the Holy land is worth the fight. Christians should be peacemakers but sometimes a situation arises in which they must defend the Church. Balderic’s version reveals the Pope’s assertion that it did not matter if you were the first one killed in battle or the last, “God pays with the same shilling” . Therefore, all honorable warriors were equal in God’s eyes because this was a justified war. The Pope advises the warrior not to worry about their families and homes. The men who stay behind will watch over them. If the soldier is cowardly and does not serve honorably, then upon his return, he will be an outcast unless he seeks forgiveness and does penance. It is charitable to risk your llife to help a fellow Christian in trouble. Urban said, “It is a beautiful thing to die for Christ in that city in which he died for you” (Halsall 1997). All of these points hit hard with a group that throughout their lives considered honor, faithfulness, charity, and duty as important virtues. The last points the pontiff laid out are the duties of the people who stay behind. Urban told the priests and bishops to go to their churches and inform the congregations of the atrocities in the East. The churchmen were to give blessings to those who volunteer to serve. The churchmen should be on constant guard to maintain peace. Priests should keep themselves and those under their care pure. They should raise troops and money for the endeavor. Those who remain at home must honor the possessions of the crusaders and must not do harm to their families. The Pope requested that wealthy men help finance the crusade and if they could not volunteer, they should hire soldiers to go in their place. Everyone has a responsibility in the fight. Some must wage the war, even lay down their lives; and others must support the warriors’ courageous mission. Everyone is important in the quest for a positive outcome. Urban II utilized quotes from the bible to demonstrate God’s support for the expedition. God commanded the men to travel to Jerusalem, and through their efforts, God will garner a triumph over the barbarians. The main objectives are to dislodge the Turks from the sacred land and bring peace to the region. These goals warranted a joint effort on the part of Western Christians and those who help would receive earthly treasures and heavenly rewards. The Franks should unite and aid their brothers in the East in their quest to drive the pagans out and take back God’s land. They must return to their homeland with a great victory for the glorification of God. For the crusading warriors, a humiliating loss to the Turks was not an option. It would be better to die on the battlefield than to return home as a beaten and disgraced army.
Word Count: 1230