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The First Crusade


            In November 1095, Pope Urban II preached at Clermont-Ferrand in France which launched the First Crusade. The purpose of this crusade was to aid the Christians of the East and return control of the Holy Seplucher, the church in Jerusalem, which is said to contain the tomb of Jesus Christ. At the time, the Seljuk Turks, a new Muslim power that had recently begun actively, controlled Jerusalem. Pope Urban II preached that all crusaders that would help in this fight would be free from sin and would gain eternal glory. The crusaders also hoped to gain great wealth and land in the East. Everyone from nobles to small peasants reported in great numbers and marched across Europe to meet in Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. This first crusade heightened already growing hatred of non-Christian people. This started persecution of Jews. When the three armies traveled to Constantinople to meet, they would destroy Jewish towns along the way in very bloody massacres. .
             There were a few basic causes that started this crusade. One was because the people of Europe wanted to do something to honor their god. They no longer wanted to practice Christianity passively. Many wanted to get up and get out and fight for their religion against other religions. Another reason is because the Europeans were scarce on land. They had even begun fighting for land that they already had. They needed more land and what better place to start to expand than East. One more reason that was a cause was that the middle class citizens were now aware of profits that could be made from far eastern trade. Westerners now knew that trading with the Muslims of Far East would result in great riches. If they could now just cut out the Byzantines, they could trade directly with the Muslims. .
             In the year 1095, during the speech of Pope Urban II, the crowed started to chant Deus vult! ("God wills it"). This brought together people of all classes and nationalities in Europe and they responded better than Urban could have imagined.


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