The Man Behind The First Crusade

For my critical book review for this class I have chosen a book titled The First Crusade: A New World History, by Thomas Asbridge. So far as I have read the book has centered around Pope Urban II and his famous speech at Clermont. Within which he called all European christians to arms against the Muslims who held power in the holy city of Jerusalem. Since I am reading this book right now I thought that a good topic for this first blog would be to talk about the life of Pope Urban II leading up to his Speech at Clermont.

Pope Urban II was born to the noble de Lagery family of Chatillon-sur-Marne, northern France, around the year 1035. Urban grew up in a region of north-eastern France known as the Champagne region. This was an extremely localized environment where even the nobles were not likely to have traveled more than a hundred kilometer from home within their life time. This area was controlled by a class of noble warriors, which was dominated by the knightly profession. This area where Urban grew up was an exceptionally violent society, which was dominated by bloody feud and vendetta. Everyone throughout this region, including the more peacefull nobles took part in the plunder.

Although there was much violence in the area in which Urban grew up, he was still always surrounded by the christian religion. Most people within this society was extremely dedicated to their faith and their daily lives were run by its principles. Most of Urban's early life was dominated by the struggle to avoid sin and attain heavenly salvation. In order to obtain this goal Urban turned to a monastic life style. Within a monasticism Christians dedicate their lives to prayer and the service of God, within an enclosed environment. They embrace the principles of poverty, chastity, and obedience. In order to live within in this type of life style Urban was sent to study at the cathedral school of Rheims, as a young man. He soon joined the church in Rheims and attained the position of archdeacon.

Urban remained in Rheims until his mid thirties, when he made a major decision, choosing to become a monk. Urban joined probably the most influential and respected monastery at the time, the Burgundian house of Cluny. While in Cluny Urban's administrative skills did not go unnoticed for long. By 1074, he had risen to become the grand prior of Cluny, which is second in command to the abbot. While holding this position Urban helped to uphold Cluny's reputation as a stronghold for uncompromising spiritual purity.

Urban's career did not end in Cluny though. While he was there he enjoyed a mutually beneficial alliance with Rome. This lead to his recruitment to become cardinal-bishop of Ostia, one of the most powerful ecclesiastical offices in Italy, around 1080. In the winter of 1084 and 1085 Urban worked in Germany as the papal legate for the man who had brought him to Italy, Pope Gregory VII. While in Germany Urban worked to gain support for Gregory in his struggle against the Holy Roman Empire.

In 1088, after the death of Gregory in 1087 and the short lived papacy of Victor III, Urban was finally elected pope. Although Urban to gain great power, his papacy began in a position of great weakness and vulnerability. In 1088 the Latin West seemed ready to turn their backs on Urban and side with his rival to the papal throne, Clemont III. It was not until 1094 that Urban recovered possession of the Lateran Palace in Rome through bribery and even then he did not have a strong hold over the city. He did begin to gradually restore papal authority though and in march of 1095, while Urban was in the southern Italian City of Piacenza a messenger from the embassy in Constantinople, the capital of the Greek Christian Empire of Byzantium, arrived. He appealed for military aid from their Christian brothers in the West against their Islamic neighbors. This is the request that would eventually lead to Urban's speech at Clermont on November 27th 1095.

Asbridge, Thomas. The First Crusade: A New History. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc, 2004. Print.