Pope Urban II Calls for Crusade: Jerusalem to Be Recaptured
Pope Urban II addressed a crowd at Clermont, France, on November 27, 1095, calling on Christians to liberate Jerusalem from Muslim control. His exact words are lost, but five different chroniclers recorded versions of the speech. All agree he promised remission of sins to those who took the cross. The response was enormous: 'Deus vult!' (God wills it!) became the rallying cry. Over the next three years, roughly 100,000 people set out for the Holy Land, including knights, priests, peasants, and entire families. Many died of disease and starvation before reaching the Levant. Those who arrived besieged and captured Jerusalem on July 15, 1099, massacring the Muslim and Jewish inhabitants. The Crusaders established four states in the Levant that lasted until Saladin recaptured Jerusalem in 1187.
November 27, 1095
931 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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