The history of rivalry between East and West, Muslim and Christian civilizations, has hundreds of years. It had different periods - both extremely bloody and relatively peaceful. But even today, the relationship between Christians and Muslims is invisibly influenced by events that began more than 900 years ago - events that have gone down in history under the name "the era of the Crusades."
In the 11th century, the Seljuk Turks, who professed Islam, were rapidly seizing more and more new territories in Western Asia. By 1085, they took control of most of Iran and Mesopotamia, Syria and Palestine, including Jerusalem, took all of Asia Minor from the Byzantines, and captured Antioch.
The position of the Byzantine Empire became critical - the Turks were practically at the walls of Constantinople. The military forces of the empire were seriously weakened by previous wars, and the emperor Alexei I Komnenos asked for help to Pope Urban II.
The emperor appealed to the Christian compassion of the pontiff - Jerusalem was captured by the infidels, the Holy Sepulcher was in their hands, and Christian pilgrims were persecuted.
In fact, this was only partly true. Indeed, there were excesses associated with the actions of individual Muslim rulers and religious fanatics, but there was no mention of the total extermination of Christians and their shrines. It was not faith that needed to be saved, but the Byzantine Empire.
Prior to Alexios I Comnenus, Byzantine emperors turned to Rome for help more than once, but now it happened in a completely different situation - in 1054 there was a split in Christianity, also known as the "Great Schism". Western and Eastern Church Fathers anathematized each other, and under these conditions, the conversion of the emperor of Byzantium was a last resort.
The Worldly Cares of the Church Lord
Pope Urban II ascended the papacy in 1088. In the world he bore the name Odo de Chatillon de Lagerie, and was a representative of a noble, but not very rich French family from Champagne.
During this period, the Catholic Church waged a fierce struggle for influence on secular power. A side effect of this was the emergence of a rival to the Pope - Antipope Clement II I, which annoyed not only Urban II, but also two of his predecessors, as well as one successor.
The socio-economic situation in Europe during this period was extremely difficult - the process of enslavement of the peasants greatly worsened their living conditions, and to this was added a whole series of disasters in the form of large-scale floods, epidemics and as many as seven lean years in a row.
The lower strata of society saw in what was happening signs of the end of the world, which contributed to a sharp aggravation of religious feelings.
In addition, the establishment of the feudal system created in the knightly class a significant contingent of people trained in military affairs, but who had neither work nor a decent livelihood in their homeland. First of all, we are talking about the younger sons of noble families, who, under the new conditions of single inheritance, did not receive the lands of their parents, which were given to older brothers.
The request of Alexei I Komnenos turned out to be most welcome. Urban II saw in it an opportunity to solve several problems at once - the restoration of Christian control over the Holy Land, the increase in the authority and restoration of the unity of the Christian church, the deliverance of Europe from thousands of armed young representatives of the nobility staggering around idle.
"Peace is here, war is there!"
The idea of a campaign to the East in the name of the liberation of the Holy Sepulcher by that period was already circulating in Europe, spread by preachers. One of the brightest of them was Peter of Amiens, he is Peter the Hermit, a talented speaker who called for a crusade.
Peter the Hermit obtained an audience with Urban II, who by this time had established himself in the need to realize his plans. Therefore, Peter the Hermit received from the pontiff a blessing for preaching and a promise of all kinds of assistance.
In November 1095, Urban II convened an ecclesiastical council in Clermont, France, to resolve various administrative and political issues.
But the main event of the council took place on November 26, 1095, when Urban II delivered a speech to representatives of the clergy, secular nobility, as well as to thousands of representatives of the lower strata.
The performance took place outside the city, in a field where a special platform was built for this. Of course, there were no microphones then, so the words of Urban II were passed from mouth to mouth.The speech of Urban II is today recognized as one of the brightest and most effective in the history of mankind.
The Pope began by describing the suffering of Christians in the East. Urban II did not spare colors, so that soon thousands of those assembled began to sob. Having finished with a description of the horrors, he moved on to the practical part: “The land that you inhabit is compressed everywhere by the sea and mountains and therefore has become cramped with your large numbers. It is not rich in wealth and barely feeds those who cultivate it. Hence it happens that you bite and devour each other like the best dogs, wage wars, inflict mortal wounds. May your hatred cease now, enmity cease, wars subside and God's internecine strife doze off! Peace is here, war is there! Go to the Holy Sepulcher, and the Holy Church will not leave your loved ones under its care. Liberate the Holy Land from the hands of the pagans and subjugate it to yourself. The land flows with honey and milk. Whoever is sad and poor here will be joyful and rich.”
How the pontiff's cassock was torn into crosses
The effect of the speech was amazing. Those present in droves knelt down and vowed to liberate the Holy Land. "That's what God wants!" they exclaimed. Here, in the field, many sewed on their clothes the distinctive symbol of the new movement - red crosses. Urban II donated his purple cassock to this good cause.
The Pope spoke primarily to the knights, and they heard him. But at the same time, representatives of the lower classes also heard. People who had never held weapons in their hands got into carts and set off to liberate Jerusalem, hoping to exchange their current hard life for the "milk and honey" of the Holy Land.
The peasants who went on a campaign had no idea about the distance to Jerusalem. Soon, strange people with red crosses on their clothes began to appear near the walls of European cities, frightening counter questions: “Tell me, is this city Jerusalem?”
In total, according to various estimates, from 100 to 300 thousand commoners, who, as a rule, did not have any supplies, not the slightest idea about organization and discipline, moved on a campaign against Jerusalem.
Led it, so to speak, "army", Petr Hermit And French knight Walter Golyak, nicknamed so for extreme poverty.
The masses of hungry and destitute people on the way of their movement were marked by Jewish pogroms, robberies and violence in Eastern Europe, primarily in Bulgaria and Hungary. Local residents were forced to resist them, which is why the ranks of the first crusaders noticeably thinned out.
Doomed to the slaughter
By the autumn of 1096, tens of thousands of crusaders Walter Golyak and Peter the Hermit reached Constantinople. Emperor Alexei I Komnenos at first received them cordially, but very soon realized that instead of an army of professional military men, an uncontrollable crowd of people embittered by life arrived at him.
The emperor understood that nothing good would come of the further campaign of this “army” against Jerusalem, and suggested to Peter the Hermit to wait for the troops of the knights to approach.
Peter the Hermit at the Byzantine Emperor Alexei Komnenos. Photo: Public Domain
However, at this time, the crusading poor literally began to wipe Constantinople off the face of the earth - they plundered and burned dozens of houses, several palaces, hundreds of merchants' shops and even churches, although the Greek population tirelessly supplied them with food and shelter.
Alexei I Komnenos realized that he had to save his own capital from such "liberators of the Holy Sepulcher."
The Byzantine fleet transported the crusaders across the Bosporus, leaving them to themselves. In an already unorganized army, internal strife began, because of which the forces were divided.
The army of the Seljuk Turks achieved an easy victory. On October 21, 1096, the main forces of the crusaders were ambushed in a narrow valley between Nicaea and the village of the Dragon, and were utterly defeated. It was even difficult to call it a battle - the battle turned into a massacre, in which the Turks, with minimal losses, destroyed, according to various sources, from 25 to 40 thousand people. The youngest and strongest were taken prisoner and sold into slavery. Units managed to return back to Constantinople. Among those who escaped death was Peter the Hermit, but Walter Golyak died in battle.
Typhoid became an ally of Muslims
The catastrophe that befell the peasant crusaders in no way affected the intentions of the chivalry. The nobility went on a campaign on the dates predetermined by Urban II - August 15, 1096.
Count Raymond of Toulouse together with papal legate Adémar of Monteil,Bishop of Le Puy, led the knights of Provence. The Normans of Southern Italy were led Prince Bohemond of Tarentum and his nephew Tancred. Brothers Gottfried of Boulogne, Eustache of Boulogne And Baldwin of Boulogne were the commanders of the Lorraine, and the soldiers of Northern France were led Count Robert of Flanders, Robert of Normandy(eldest son William the Conqueror and brother Wilhelm the Red, King of England) Count Stephen of Blois And Hugo Vermandois(son Anna of Kyiv and younger brother Philip I, King of France).
Despite all the difficulties, disputes between the leaders of the campaign for superiority, the lack of a normal supply of troops, which again resulted in robberies of the local population, the knights were much more successful in their undertaking.
Nicaea capitulated in 1097 after a Crusader siege. In the autumn of the same year, the army approached Antioch, and on October 21 besieged it. After eight months of siege, in the early morning of June 3, 1098, the crusaders broke into the city. The real massacre began. The emir of the city fled, but was overtaken and beheaded.
The battle with the detachments of Muslims who came to the aid ended in a complete victory for the crusaders. Antioch finally fell on June 28, when the citadel in the south of the city was captured.
The siege of Antioch resulted in heavy losses among the crusaders. To those who died in the battles, those who died as a result of a typhus epidemic that broke out after the capture of the city were added. The campaign to Jerusalem was postponed for six months.
Procession of the Cross followed by an assault
Part of the crusaders returned to their homeland, not reaching the main goal of the campaign. Two crusader states were formed, the County of Edessa and the Principality of Antioch, whose new rulers, Baldwin I of Boulogne and Bohemond I of Tarentum, refused to participate in the further campaign.
Only in January 1099 did the crusaders begin their march to Jerusalem, which they reached on June 7th. By this time, the city was no longer controlled by the Seljuks, but by the Fatimid caliph.Emir of Jerusalem Iftikar al-Dawla was not belligerent - his embassy offered the Crusaders an unhindered pilgrimage to the holy places, but in small groups and without weapons. In response, the Crusaders declared that they had come to liberate the Holy Sepulcher and would achieve this goal by any means.
The siege began, hampered by the lack of food and water - the wells around were poisoned in advance by the Muslims.
On June 13, the first assault attempt was repulsed. In addition, information appeared that the Fatimid army was coming to the aid of Jerusalem from Egypt.
On July 8, the crusaders shocked the besieged - barefoot knights staged a procession around the walls of Jerusalem. Inspired in this way, at dawn on July 14, they launched a new assault. The crusaders threw stones at the city from throwing machines, and the Muslims showered them with a hail of arrows and threw stones from the walls, poured boiling water, dropped “tarred pieces of wood” studded with nails, wrapping them in burning rags. The battle went on all day, but the city held out. Both sides spent the night without sleep, and in the morning a new stage of the assault began. The crusaders managed to partially fill up the moat around the city and bring siege towers to its walls. The knights were seized with incredible religious ecstasy, in which they rushed to storm the city walls. The defenders could not withstand the pressure and began to retreat.
Blood for blood
The crusaders who broke into the city did not know mercy. Before the start of the assault, the defenders expelled all Christians from the city, and therefore the knights did not consider it necessary to spare anyone. In particular, the synagogue was burned along with the Jews who had taken refuge in it. In total, during the capture of Jerusalem on July 15, 1099, at least 10,000 citizens were killed. The knights not only committed a mass of murders, but also completely plundered Jerusalem.
After the capture of Jerusalem, a new Kingdom of Jerusalem was formed, the ruler of which was Gottfried of Bouillon. Gottfried did not want to be called king in the city where Christ was crowned with a crown of thorns, so on July 22, 1099 he took the title of Defender of the Holy Sepulcher.
The first crusade ended with the victory of the crusaders, but it created far more problems than it solved. Most of the knights, after the end of the campaign, returned to Europe, where there was still no place for them. The newly created crusader states were constantly attacked by Muslims and could not survive without outside help.
But the most important thing is that the massacres against Muslims, routinely committed by Christian knights during the campaign, caused a response from the Muslims, who were now eager to avenge their brothers in faith, not distinguishing between the right and the wrong. And looking at the modern Middle East, it becomes clear that what began 900 years ago has not ended to this day.
And the main inspirer of the crusade, Pope Urban II, died on July 29, 1099, two weeks after the capture of Jerusalem. But at a time when there was no telegraph, telephone, radio and Internet, two weeks to transmit news from Jerusalem to Rome was not enough - the new pontiff already learned about the “liberation of the Holy Sepulcher”.
The crowd kept arriving, there were knights, peasants, priests and townspeople in it. Far from everyone was able to see the vicar of God on Earth with their own eyes. In addition, the rumor had already spread that dad was going to tell something extremely important, impatience was growing.
Our compatriot poet Apollon Maikov hundreds of years later wrote sonorous verses about this memorable day:
Do not celebrate a wedding, do not feast,
Not for a war tournament
Shine with weapons and horses
Flowed into Clermont upland
Bogatyrs from all over the world.
Like a meadow dotted with flowers
The whole square, full of guests,
Uplifted by a mass of people,
Like rolling waves.
The ray of the sun brightly illuminated
Banners, scarves, feathers, chasubles,
Coats of arms, and ribbons, and mottos,
Azure and purple and metal...
This day was duly described by contemporary chroniclers. Thanks to them, we even know today that the pope was dressed in white brocade robes, decorated with gold-woven crosses, in a high miter, sparkling with precious stones and crowned with a cross, that the numerous church retinue accompanying him were in robes of crimson, purple, black colors.
Pope Urban II stepped out of the city gates, and, supported by two cardinals, climbed up onto a prefabricated platform. The crowd is quiet...
But the speech of Urban II itself, unfortunately, has not been preserved in its authentic form, and could not be preserved - after all, there were no stenographers at that time. In addition, not all of those who kept chronicles at that time heard it themselves - they had to convey the meaning of the pope's address to his flock from the words of those who were in Clermont that November day. However, some fragments of speech are recorded literally.
“This land that you inhabit,” Urban said, “is squeezed from everywhere by the sea and mountain ranges, it is constrained by your multiplicity, but it does not overflow with an abundance of wealth and barely feeds those who cultivate it. Hence it comes that you bite and devour each other, wage wars and inflict many mortal wounds on each other. May your hatred cease, may hostility cease, wars subside and all strife and strife fall asleep. Step on the path of the Holy Sepulcher, uproot this land from the wicked people, subjugate it to yourself. This earth, as the Scripture says, flows with honey and milk. Jerusalem is the navel of the earth, the most fruitful land in comparison with other lands, it is like a second paradise. He longs for release and does not stop praying that you come to his rescue.
With bated breath, the audience listened to the words of Urban II, who said that the “Persian tribe of the Turks” had seized relics sacred to Christians, that they were turning temples into cattle sheds, “trampling underfoot the vessels intended for worship”, beating and insulting the clergy. About the fact that sacrilege can no longer be tolerated, that Christians must rise to fight with the infidels, and every warrior as a sign of this is to sew a red cross on his clothes. Those who go to the East to liberate the Holy Sepulcher, Pope Urban II concluded his speech, will receive complete forgiveness of all sins and debts; those who accept death in the battles for the faith, eternal heavenly bliss awaits.
The Pope's speech fell on fertile ground. Thousands of people, kneeling down in a single impulse, exclaimed: “God wants it so!” When Urban II fell silent, the knights immediately rushed to the platform, pulling their swords from their scabbards and asking the Pope for blessings for military exploits in the name of the Lord. The oath to immediately go to the East was given by both ordinary peasants and townspeople.
Immediately the news of the call of the Church spread throughout France. A few days later, the ambassadors of a powerful lord, Count Raymond IV of Toulouse, arrived in Clermont to Urban II. The count announced that both he and his vassals were ready to go to Jerusalem to punish the infidels. With enthusiasm, the messages sent out by the pope, who remained in France for several more months, were received at the courts of all other rulers, including kings ...
In the year 1095, a great cathedral was convened at Auvergne, in the city of Clermont. Among those present were the Roman bishops and cardinals and Pope Urban II. There were also many bishops and princes from Gaul and Germany. When church affairs were decided, the pope went out to a spacious square - since there was no room capable of accommodating all those gathered - and addressed the people with these words:
"People of the Franks! You come from beyond the Alps, you are chosen by God and loved by him, as shown by your many accomplishments. You stand out from all other peoples by the position of your lands and by the Catholic faith, as well as by the veneration of the holy church; my speech is addressed to you!
We want you to know what a sad reason has brought us to your region, what necessity calls you and all believers. From the limits of Jerusalem and from the city of Constantinople, important news has come to us, and even earlier it very often reached our ears that the people of the Persian kingdom, a foreign tribe alien to God, a people stubborn and rebellious, unsettled in heart and unfaithful to God in their spirit, invaded the lands of these Christians, devastated them with the sword, robbery, fire. The Persians partly took the Christians to their land, partly killed them by shameful slaughter. And they either razed the churches of God to the ground, or adapted them for their rites. They desecrate the altars with their feces. They circumcise Christians and throw the circumcised parts into altars or baptismal fonts. They are happy to put someone to a shameful death by piercing the stomach, depriving their childbearing members and tying them to a post. Then they drive their victims around him, and beat with a whip until the insides fall out of them and they themselves fall to the ground. Others, tied to poles, are struck with arrows; others, bending their necks, are struck with a sword and in this way they are tested with what blow can be killed immediately. What can be said about the inexpressible dishonor to which women are subjected, which is worse to speak of than to remain silent? The Greek kingdom has already been cut down and destroyed by them to such an extent that the lost cannot be circumvented even in two months.
Who has the trouble to avenge all this, to correct what they have done, who better than you? Are you people whom God exalted before all with the power of arms and greatness of spirit, dexterity and valor to crush the heads of your enemies who oppose you?
Rise up and remember the deeds of your ancestors, the valor and glory of King Charlemagne, and his son Louis, and your other sovereigns, who destroyed the kingdoms of the pagans and pushed the boundaries of the holy church there. Especially let the Holy Sepulcher of the Lord, our Savior, incite you to the Sepulcher, which the wicked now own, and the holy places that are vilely defiled by them and shamefully soiled by their wickedness. O mighty knights! Remember the courage of your forefathers. Don't shame them!
And if you are held back by a tender affection for children, and parents, and wives, consider again what the Lord says in the Gospel: “Whoever leaves homes, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or land, for my name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit eternal life." Don't let property or family matters distract you.
This land that you inhabit is squeezed from everywhere by the sea and mountain ranges, it is constrained by your numbers. She is not very rich and barely feeds those who work her. Because of this, you bite and devour each other, wage wars and inflict many mortal wounds on each other. May hatred between you cease, may enmity cease, wars subside and all sorts of strife and strife fall asleep. Start the path to the Holy Sepulcher, uproot this land from the wicked people, the land that was given by the Lord to our children of Israel and which, as the Scripture says, flows with milk and honey.
Jerusalem is the navel of the earth, the most fruitful land in comparison with others, this land is like a second paradise. The redeemer of the human race glorified her with his coming, adorned her with deeds, sanctified her with suffering, redeemed her with death, immortalized her with burial. And this royal city, located in the middle of the earth, is now full of its enemies and is used by peoples who do not know the Lord for pagan rites. He longs for liberation and longs for liberation, he constantly prays that you come to his rescue. He is waiting for help from you, for, as we have already said, before other existing nations, you are honored by God with a wonderful power of arms. Enter this path for the atonement of your sins, being filled with confidence in the spotless glory of the Kingdom of Heaven.
When Pope Urban, in his skillful speech, said this and much like it, those who were there were united by a common feeling, so that everyone cried out: “God wills it so! That's what God wants!" Hearing this, the venerable Bishop of Rome raised his eyes to heaven, gave thanks to God, and, with a wave of his hand, demanding silence, spoke again:
"Beloved brothers! Today we have seen that, as the Lord said in the Gospel of Matthew, "where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them." For if it were not for God, who was present in your thoughts, your voice would not have been so unanimous; and although it came from many mouths, yet its source was one. That is why I tell you that it is God who has taken out of your mouth the voice that he has put into your breasts. Let this cry become a military signal for you, for this word is uttered by God. And when you have a battle with the enemy, let everyone shout God's word with one voice: “So the Lord wants! That is what the Lord wants!”
We do not command or exhort that old men or weak people who do not own weapons go on this campaign. And let women not go on a journey without their husbands, or brothers, or legal guardians. They are, after all, more of a hindrance than a reinforcement, and more of a burden than a benefit. Let the rich help the poor, and at their own expense bring with them those fit for war. Priests and clerics of any rank should not go without the permission of their bishops, for if they go without such permission, the campaign will be useless for them. Yes, and the laity is not good to embark on a pilgrimage except with the blessing of the priest.
And the one who decides to make this holy pilgrimage, and makes a vow to God about it, and offers himself to him as a living, holy and very pleasing sacrifice, let him wear the image of the cross of the Lord on his forehead or on his chest. The one who wishes, having fulfilled the vow, to return home, let him place this image on his back between the shoulder blades. Thus, such people will fulfill the commandment of the Lord, which he himself prescribes in the Gospel: "And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me."
When all this was said, one of the Roman cardinals, named Gregory, read the "Confiteor" to all those present, who now knelt down. They all beat their chests, asked for forgiveness of sins. When the absolution was given, a blessing followed, and after the blessing, the crowd dispersed.
The next day, the concluding meeting of the council took place in Clermont. At this meeting, an agreement was reached on the details of the organization of the campaign. Bishop Adémar of Le Puy, whom Urban visited in August, was elected papal legate. He was to lead the Crusade as Pope Urban's personal representative. Probably, at the same meeting, the start date of the campaign was set - August 15, 1096. This gave the bishops time to deliver sermons and recruit new recruits for the campaign. It also gave time for the knights who were going to participate in the campaign to settle all household affairs.
Pope Urban spent the next eight months in France attending to ecclesiastical business. Most likely, he himself recruited recruits for the glorious campaign, which he proclaimed in Clermont. On August 15, 1996, the day the First Crusade officially began, Urban crossed the Alps on his way back to Italy. He was calm. The crusade has begun.
Pope Urban II (1042-1099)
Pope Urban II did not expect that his incendiary speech at the Council of Clermont in 1095, calling for a campaign with weapons against Muslims who allegedly desecrated the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, would cause a crusader movement. Kings, barons, earls, knights, peasants, women and even children longed to go to the holy places and cleanse them of "infidels". As a reward for the liberation of Jerusalem, the Pope promised remission of sins. For 200 years, 8 Crusades were committed. Europe lost many thousands of its best sons, including Louis IX. The tomb of the Lord was left to the infidels. But despite the Crusades, Europe and the East still drew closer.
The Pope not only promised forgiveness from all sins - he tempted the flock with innumerable riches that abound in the East. The land there is filled with milk and honey,” he proclaimed. “Let those who were robbers here become warriors there, who did not find happiness here, find it in the East.” The crowd echoed him and exclaimed: “So God wants!” Those gathered fell on their knees and in religious ecstasy, with tears in their eyes, vowed to free the Holy Sepulcher from the Muslims, to cleanse the Holy Land. At the end of the sermon, the Pope took off his purple cassock, donating it to a good cause. And the newly-appeared pilgrims immediately began to sew red crosses on their cloaks and capes. Thus, for the first time in the history of religion and Europe, the Crusades began, which, despite all the huge losses, led to the enrichment of the cultures of different peoples, to religious tolerance ...
Pope Urban's worldly name was Odo de Langerie, he came from France, from Champagne. Since childhood, he devoted himself to serving the church, was a canon, archdeacon. In 1070, he retired to the monastery of Cluny, where he became acquainted with theological teachings. But the reclusive life was not to his liking. Odo soon went to Rome to help Pope Gregory VII carry out religious reforms.
He showed himself to be a zealous servant of God, diligent, able to negotiate and persuade. In 1078, Odo was appointed cardinal-bishop, then sent as a papal legate to France and Germany. At the Council of 1088, Odo was unanimously proclaimed the new Pope Urban II. But he could not immediately enter Rome and take up his high post there.
There was no peace in the capital of Italy. The citizens were at a crossroads. Some supported the German king and Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV, who opposed the new Pope, others stood for the antipope Clement III, who did not want to leave his post and defended it with arms in hand. The struggle was serious, success was accompanied by one or the other side. autumn
1089 Pope Urban had to flee Rome. Antipope Clement III began to rule in the city, calling on Henry IV.
Urban traveled around southern Italy, through the cities and villages of France and waited for changes. But he used this time to strengthen his authority: he advocated the unity of the church and religion. They listened to him attentively, believed him, tried to help him. In 1094, Urban, together with his like-minded people, managed to enter Rome, but the supporters of Clement III continued to fight against him.
A year later, when the passions subsided, an embassy from the Byzantine emperor Alexei I Komnenos arrived at Urban. The arrivals told the Pope about the plight that had developed in the East: the Seljuk Turks threatened Constantinople, in the Holy Land the Muslims seized the temple with the Holy Sepulcher, they are committing massacres against Christians. We must liberate the Holy Land.
This story touched the Pope to the core. He realized that the situation gave him a chance to strengthen his position in Rome. He needs to raise the masses of people and send them to free the trampled shrines. After the Clermont Cathedral, he continued his mission as the organizer of the Crusades, traveled to the cities and villages of France, Germany, Italy and called on Christians to take revenge. It was during this period that the word "indulgence" was first heard from the lips of the Pope, which in Latin meant "absolution of sins."
The news of the impending crusade to the Holy Land aroused considerable enthusiasm in the countries of Western Europe. Priests in churches rang bells and, following the example of the Pope, called on good Christians to join the campaign against the "infidels". Thousands of destitute peasants, homeless townspeople responded to this call.
In the spring of 1096, somehow, the armed army moved along the path beaten by pilgrims along the Rhine and Danube to Constantinople. People had little idea where and how they would eat, with whom to fight and what to do in the Holy Land. They sang psalms, rejoiced at the future rich booty, but after several days of travel, when they ran out of food, they began to plunder. They dragged everything that came to hand, took away cattle, horses, killed their owners. It was a side war.
In the summer, about 25 thousand members of the army of Christ reached Constantinople. Here the Seljuk Turks met them on the way and easily killed them. Some were captured and sold into slavery, some were destroyed. About 3 thousand survived. Some of them returned home and told about the sad results of the peasant crusade.
The first crusade led by the knights took place in the same year 1096, it was led by the Count of Toulouse, the papal legate was with him, red crosses were sewn on their cloaks. The total army already reached 50-70 thousand people. In January they arrived at Constantinople. Byzantine emperor Alexei I believed that all the knights would serve him and help him return the lost Byzantine lands. For this he was going to pay them. But the knights who arrived were not going to help Alexei, they had their own goals - to get to Jerusalem, drive out the "infidels" and capture rich booty.
This time, the Seljuk Turks suffered a complete defeat, they could not resist the well-organized army of mounted knights. With fighting, the crusaders reached Bethlehem and approached Jerusalem. The city was already under siege, and it was not possible to take it by attack. Only having thoroughly prepared, in July 1099, the crusaders stormed the city. They rushed through the streets, looking for gold, silver, killing people, not understanding who were the faithful and who were Muslims. After this bloody massacre, they went to the Holy Sepulcher to atone for sins.
On the occupied lands, the crusaders at the beginning of the 12th century created 4 states: the kingdom of Jerusalem, the county of Tripoli, the principality of Antioch and the county of Ejesse. All 4 states were headed by the proclaimed King of Jerusalem. On the lands of the crusaders, spiritual knightly orders then arose: the Templars, the Hospitallers and the Teutons.
The goal of the First Crusade was achieved. But the struggle between the Christians and Muslims who settled in the East was just beginning. There were immeasurably more Muslims, and they were not at all going to give these lands to aliens, who, in turn, were also considered "infidels."
To defend the conquered, it was necessary to organize the Second Crusade, and the third, and the fourth ... and the eighth. But the crusaders could not hold the occupied lands and were gradually driven out from there.
By this time, the inspirer of the crusade, Pope Urban II, had been resting in the ground for many years. But his appeals until the 15th century excited the imagination of the knights, who could not come to terms with the losses and made several attempts to free the Holy Sepulcher, but they all ended in failure.
November 1095, Clermont, France. The city is filled with festive bustle. Still, Pope Urban II himself gathered the Cathedral here. Knights, clergy, peasants gathered from all over France. This year, the Pope has already assembled the Cathedral in Piacenza, Italy. And now, having crossed the Alps, he arrived at Clermont, having previously traveled around the Abbey of Cluny. Today he should speak to the people with a sermon. And so many people gathered that there was no suitable place in the city ready to accommodate everyone. We decided to gather on the plain outside the city.
- Beloved brothers!
Motivated by the necessity of our time, I Urban, bearing the sign of an apostle with the permission of the Lord, overseeing the whole earth, has come to you, the servants of God, as a messenger to reveal the Divine will.
So the father began his speech. The human sea fell silent, greedily listening to his words. Waiting for dad to say the main thing.
Urban II spoke about the fact that the Seljuk Turks captured Jerusalem, about the persecution of Christians in the Holy Land, about their suffering, about the need to help them as soon as possible:
- And about this matter I ask and implore you, the heralds of Christ - and not I, but the Lord - so that you exhort with all possible perseverance people of all ranks, both horse and foot, both rich and poor, take care to provide all possible support to the Christians and to expel this worthless people from the borders of our lands. I say (this) to those present, I charge them to inform those who are absent - this is what Christ commands.
And the crowd exhaled:
Thus began the almost 200-year epic of the Crusades. So who was their initiator, Pope Urban II?
He was born in 1042 to the de Langerie family in the province of Champagne. His family was noble, so is it any wonder that one of his teachers was Saint Bruno, the founder of the Carthusian order, which still exists (in France and other countries there are 18 such monasteries). The full worldly name of Urban II is Odo (Oddo) de Langerie. In Reims, Odo became a canon, and then received the rank of archdeacon. His career was successful, but around 1070 Odo retired to the monastery of Cluny, known for the asceticism of its monks and the patronage of the pope. Soon he becomes Prior of Cluny.
1073 was a year of change for the Cluniac monks. In Rome, a new pontiff, Gregory VII, was elected, who became a monk of Cluny back in 1047. Then, in 1047, Gregory VII dreamed of being an ascetic, longing for solitude. But the dreams were not destined to come true. He was taken with him to Rome by Pope Leo IX, whose pontificate began in 1049. And now Gregory VII himself, wanting the support of faithful people, summoned monks from Cluny under the leadership of Abbot Hugo. Prior Odo de Langerie also entered this group of monks. From now on, his fate was firmly connected with the fate of Pope Gregory VII.
Times were difficult. Another Pope Gregory VI, in 1045-1046. made an attempt to start church reform. The reform was very difficult. Still, the leaders of the reform swung at the foundations of both church and secular! First of all, the reformers proposed to abandon simony, i.e. sales of church positions, and also advocated for celibacy, that is, for the celibacy of clergy. But the majority of parish priests in the XI century. were married! Simony allowed to fill the pockets of secular and church feudal lords with specie. The first victim of this struggle fell ... Pope Gregory VI himself, who was forced to abdicate - he bought the papal title from his predecessor Benedict IX for 2,000 denarii. Needless to say, the implementation of the reform was hampered by the authorities in every possible way.
In March 1074, a synod was held at which the pope issued a decree that contained a ban on trading in church positions, as well as a ban on believers from taking communion with married priests. The popes had issued such decrees before, but they were generally ignored by the clergy. Now, when the decision was issued by Gregory VII, famous for his perseverance and energy, there was no hope that everything would remain the same. The clergy were excited.
But it seemed to the pope that the decisions of this synod were not enough. There was an intensive preparation of new postulates of the reform. A year later, again in the spring, "The Dictate of the Pope" is published, a short and clear program aimed at elevating the pope over secular power. Secular authorities were deprived of the so-called investiture, i.e. the right to appoint and dismiss bishops, and the clergy were forbidden to receive positions from secular rulers.
Odo de Langerie took the most active part in the church reform. In 1078 he was appointed cardinal-bishop of Ostia, one of the suburbs of Rome, and soon he was sent as legate, i.e. diplomatic representative of the Pope to France and Germany. The legates of Gregory VII were given the exclusive right to intervene in everything, to depose bishops, to proclaim ecclesiastical punishments against sovereigns.
Germany 11th century was part of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled at that time by representatives of the Franconian dynasty. By 1078, a conflict broke out between the pope and King Henry IV of Germany. Outraged by the abolition of the investiture, in January 1076, Henry IV took and dismissed Gregory VII from his post. This conflict a year later brought Henry to Canossa, to repentance: the excommunication of Henry IV himself from the church turned out to be a stronger blow - his vassals ceased to obey him! But Canossa turned out to be just an episode of a drama that dragged on for many years. Soon after repentance, Henry returned to confrontation with the pope. Angry Gregory VII in March 1080 again excommunicated the king from the church. In retaliation, in June of the same year, Henry IV gathers a cathedral in Brixen, and the bishops loyal to him declare Gregory deposed. Not only that, they elect Vibert of Ravenna as pope! This antipope went down in history under the name of Clement III. So at the same time on the Roman throne were two.
The share of Odo de Langerie, legate, envoy of the pope in Germany, got difficult things. For the 3 years that he held this position, he even had to sit in prison, where he was sent on the orders of Henry IV. True, the king soon ordered him to be released.
In July 1083, the German king took Rome, forcing Gregory VII to take refuge in the castle of Sant'Angelo. Dad held firm, not agreeing to the world. March 21, 1084 Henry IV began the siege of the castle. After 3 days, Clement III was consecrated as pope. A week later, he placed the imperial crown on Henry IV.
Gregory VII was not long held hostage by the emperor. He was soon freed by the Normans under the command of his faithful vassal Robert Giscard. The Normans subjected Rome to a brutal sack that it had not known since the time of the Goths. The Romans began to shower curses on the pope. After that, the pope could not stay in Rome. Gregory VII died at Salerno in May 1085.
Gregory died, having forgiven all his enemies before his death, except for Henry IV and Clement III. What to do next, what to do with Clement, elected by the German bishops? The opinions of the German bishops themselves were divided. Therefore, the former legate, Cardinal Bishop Odo de Langerie, organized a council of reformers in Quedlinburg. Supporters of the emperor and Clement III gathered in Mainz. The bishops at Mainz supported Clement, and at the council of Quedlinburg, led by Odo de Langerie, Clement III was cursed. The issue of the receiver was also resolved. One of the likely candidates for the papacy was named Odo de Langerie.
Yes, now, in 1085, the authority of Odo de Langerie was already so strong that his candidacy was considered the most acceptable. He was a capable organizer, an excellent diplomat, a persistent, energetic reformer. However, life took its own course.
The Romans, having learned that Clement III was cursed, expelled the antipope from the city. On Easter 1086, the cardinals assembled in Rome to elect a new pontiff. The candidacy of Odo de Langerie they ... rejected. His rival was Dysederius, abbot of the influential monastery of Monte Cassino.
Disederius did not at all show any interest in the election of St. Peter to the throne, he was not going to take part in the elections, being engaged in diplomatic affairs at that time. Everything was decided on May 24: the cardinals forcibly dragged the obstinate abbot to the church of St. Lucia and put on him the papal robe! But soon Dysederius again had the opportunity to show his stubborn temper: taking advantage of the confusion caused by the approach of the imperial prefect to Rome, he fled to his monastery and hid there for a whole year. The electors at this time were in Terracina, since Rome was in the hands of Clement.
At the beginning of 1087, at a synod in Capua, the electors again confirmed that Dysederius was the pope, and persuaded him to accept the office. And soon the Normans expelled Clement III and his brethren from Rome. And on May 9, Dysederius, under the name Victor III, was solemnly consecrated to the pope. But after 8 days, Victor III left Rome and returned to his beloved Monte Cassino monastery, which Clement immediately took advantage of. He reoccupied Rome.
At the end of August 1087, Victor III held a synod in Benevento. Clement was excommunicated, investiture condemned. 3 days after the beginning of the synod, the pope suddenly fell ill and left for Monte Cassino to die there. He managed to issue several decrees that gave privileges to the monastery, and recommended that Odo de Langerie be elected pope. September 16, 1087 Victor III died.
On March 12, 1088, in Torrecina (Rome was still in the hands of Clement), Odo de Langerie was unanimously elected pope. He took the name of Urban II. The very first appeal of the new pope contained a call for the establishment of peace and the support of the princes and bishops-reformers of the new pope.
The position of the new pope was tragic. The Normans, who could help return to Rome, were busy with their feuds. Urban tried to reconcile their leaders, Roger and Bohemond. But when, finally, the Normans began the liberation of Rome, their strength was enough to free only a small part of it, and Clement owned the rest of the city. Urban was forced to take refuge on one of the islands on the Tiber - the island of St. Bartholomew. For three days the troops of the pope and the antipope fought desperately among themselves. Finally, Clement III was defeated and Urban was able to solemnly enter St. Peter's Cathedral.
But the struggle for Rome did not end there. It continued with varying success until 1093. The vacillation of the Romans, the unstable military support of the Normans provided to the pope - all this led to the fact that Rome passed from hand to hand.
1089 turned out to be unsuccessful for Europe: crop failure, famine, an epidemic of the “fiery plague” (spore disease) claimed thousands of lives. On top of all the troubles in Northern Germany and Brabant, an earthquake occurred - in some places the rivers overflowed their banks. In the autumn of the same year, Urban held a synod in Melfi, where again, for the umpteenth time, they condemned the simony and sexual promiscuity of the priests. There was also something new. Between the leaders of the Normans, Roger and Bohemond, a long peace was concluded. But Urban did not have time to return to Rome: the townspeople again accepted Clement! I had to curse the antipope because of the city walls ...
For another 3 years, Urban II wandered around southern Italy. He held synods, built diplomatic bridges. For example, an embassy was sent to Byzantium to its ruler Basileus Alexei Komnenos with proposals on ways to reunite the Western and Eastern churches after the split of Christianity in 1054. In the same 3 years of the pope's wanderings, a letter from Komnenos to Count Robert of Flanders was received in the West asking for help in the fight against the Turks and the Pechenegs. But life did not get better during these years. Crop failures, famine, epidemics, natural disasters pursued the Europeans inevitably. The “seven lean years” that historians write about made them real religious fanatics, ready to make even greater sacrifices for this divine punishment - religious asceticism, hermitage, pilgrimage, going to a monastery.
Meanwhile, Clement's influence in Rome began to wane. It weakened due to the not very successful war of the main patron of Clement Henry IV with Matilda of Tuscany and her husband Welf IV of Bavaria. Moreover, the eldest son of Heinrich Conrad, outraged by the antics of his dissolute father, went over to the side of the Italians ... However, he did not disinterestedly go over. Soon he was crowned in Milan as King of Italy.
Now Urban II could well expect to return to Rome. All that remained was to solve the housing problem. The accursed antipope Clement III has a stranglehold on the castle-fortress of Sant'Angelo, the residence beloved by the popes.
At first, Urban II was rescued by the Franypani family, giving him their castle near the Roman Palatine hill. Then the manager of the Lateran Palace offered the pope to rent the palace for money. The financial situation of the pope at this point was simply disgusting. At this time, when crop failures, famine and epidemics succeeded each other in succession, even the pope did not have to hope for well-being. The French abbot Gregory of Vandom hurried to his rescue, who sold part of the property of his monastery. So, 6 years after his election, Pope Urban II moved into the Lateran Palace of Rome.
The position of the pope was still difficult. The Romans tolerated the French pope with difficulty. The flock was starving and dying. Detachments of knights roamed the roads of Europe, robbing passers-by, attacking villages and cities. It is good that some of these detachments were sent south, to Spain, where the reconquista was going on, the war of Christians with the Saracens, i.e. Arabs. It was necessary to find a solution that would help solve at least part of these problems. This decision slowly but surely surfaced from the dregs of the European life of those years...
The diplomacy of Urban II began to bear fruit. Basileus Alexei Komnenos entered into correspondence with him regarding help in delivering Byzantium from the Seljuk Turks and Pechenegs, who besieged Constantinople from land and sea. This was a chance to conclude a new union - the union after the split of Christianity in 1054 into the Western and Eastern churches, i.e. respectively Catholicism and Orthodoxy.
Attempts to improve relations between the Eastern and Western churches, the conduct of a crusade against the Seljuk Turks were undertaken by Gregory VII. But after the conflict with Henry VII began, these attempts were abandoned until better times.
In 1095, the Byzantine emperor Alexei I Komnenos sent an embassy to Rome asking for help against the Seljuk Turks who threatened Constantinople.
In March 1095, the Byzantine ambassadors were received by the pope at a council in Piacenza. Here, in Piacenza, for the first time words were heard about a military campaign for the liberation of Eastern Christians.
Finally, the idea of a crusade was formalized at the cathedral in Clermont in November of the same year. Here the Pope delivered what is called the most effective speech in European history. The speech was interrupted by the shouts of the crowd:
- Dieu le veut! (So God wants!)
“Let them oppose the infidels, let them go to battle, long worthy of being started, those who are maliciously accustomed to wage private war even against fellow believers, and squander abundant booty. May those who used to be robbers become soldiers of Christ from now on. Let those who in former times fought against brothers and kinsmen fight justly now against the barbarians. Today let those who used to be mercenaries for a small bribe receive an eternal reward. Let the double honor crown those who did not spare themselves to the detriment of their flesh and soul. Those who are sorrowful and poor here will be joyful and rich there; Here are the enemies of the Lord, there they will become his friends.
But those who intend to go on a campaign, let them not delay, but leaving (securely) their own property and collecting the necessary funds, even with the end of winter, in the next spring they will rush along the path of the Lord ”
Everything was provided for in this speech: the absolution of sins is an indulgence, the preservation by the church of the property of Christians who went on a campaign and the forgiveness of their debts to creditors ... And even a ceremony was held to lay a cross on the papal legate in the new crusading army of Bishop Adémar de Le Puy of Monteuil.
After this speech, thousands of believers from different parts of Europe decided to go on a campaign to "liberate the tomb of the Lord." The campaign began in the spring of 1096. At first, commoners set off, and in August the knights began their campaign.
Clermont Cathedral strengthened the shattered authority of Urban II. The Pope of Rome became really above secular power. In March 1096, at the Synod of Tours, he excommunicated Philip I, King of France, for illegal cohabitation with Bertrada de Montfort. The cunning Philip announced that he had divorced, but he kept Bertrada to himself.
Christian Europe rallied around the throne of St. Peter. This was the moment when the pope finally gained the desired power. This power could not be challenged by anyone. Neither the pretender French King Philip I, nor the long-time enemy of the Holy See, Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV. Even Clement III, who once again entered Rome, understood that he did not have long to enjoy the air of the eternal city. The following year, with the support of Hugo Vermandois, Urban entered Rome.
His position was strong and continued to strengthen. Matilda of Tuscany and the Italian king Conrad occupied northern Italy, forcing the emperor to retreat north. Urban in every way encouraged the war of the Normans with the Saracens. The war went well. To encourage the Normans, the pope appointed their leader Roger as his legate on the island of Sicily they had captured.
In October 1098 representatives of the western and eastern churches gathered in Bari. The purpose of the council was to settle the issue of the filioque, i.e. about the addition to the dogma of the Trinity about the procession of the Holy Spirit not only from God the Father, but "and from the son." Representatives of the Eastern Church did not agree with the filioque. The cathedral in Bari ended in nothing. The rift between the churches only widened.
On July 15, 1099, the crusaders took Jerusalem. And two weeks later, on July 29, Urban II died. He was buried in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Many miracles happened at his grave. Therefore, on July 14, 1881, Pope Leo XIII declared Urban II blessed.
