Pope Urban II
Pope who launched the First Crusade
From 12 March 1088 until his death on 29 July 1099, the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States was Odo of Châtillon, also known as Otho de Lagery.[1] The series of Catholic military expeditions called the Crusades were ignited by the Council of Clermont, which Urban II convened.[2]
Quick Facts
- Church
- Catholic Church
- Birth name
- Eudes (Odo) of Châtillon
- Took office
- 12 March 1088
- Left office
- 29 July 1099
- Predecessor
- Victor III
- Successor
- Paschal II
- Ordination
- c. 1068
- Consecration
- 20 July 1085
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
Urban upheld the excommunication of King Philip I of France over his bigamous marriage.[3] He received vital support from the Normans of Campania and Sicily in his conflicts.[4] In return, Urban granted Roger I extraordinary prerogatives, including the right to appoint bishops.[4] On 14 July 1881, Pope Leo XIII beatified Urban II.[5]
What the cited sources add
Fulcher of Chartres' account of Urban's speech records the pope promising immediate remission of sins for those who die on the crusade.[6] The same source states that Urban commanded all soldiers of God to raise the cry "It is the will of God" when attacking the enemy.[6] According to Fulcher's account, the Bishop of Puy sought and received Urban's blessing to lead the army.[6] The account also shows Urban urging crusaders to wear the sign of the cross on their forehead or breast.[6]
In his letter to the Flemish, Urban wrote that the Turks had seized the Holy City of Christ and sold her into slavery.[7]
References
- Wikipedia, "Pope Urban II" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Celli-Fraentzel 1932, p. 97 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Pope Urban II" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Richard Urban Butler (1912), "Pope Bl. Urban II", in Catholic Encyclopedia, 15, New York, Robert Appleton Company.; Theodore Freylinghuysen Collier (1911), Urban (popes)", in Chisholm, Hugh (ed.), Encyclopædia Britannica, 27, (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press, pp. 789–79 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Pope Urban II" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Philip I of France and Bertrade, Dissolving Royal Marriages: A Documentary History, 860–1600, ed. David d'Avray, Cambridge University Press, 2014, 47.; Orderic Vitalis.; Müller, "From the Cloister to the State: Fontevraud and the Making of Bourbon France, 1642–1100", Routledge, 2021, p. 42 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Pope Urban II" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Loud 2013, p. 231-232; Matthew 1992, p. 28 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Pope Urban II" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McBrien 2000, p. 182; "Urban II Biography, Legacy, & Facts", britannica.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Fulcher of Chartres' account of Urban's speech, Urban II: Speech at Council of Clermont, 1095, Five versions of the Speech (available as part of the Internet Me. facts only, no text reused. fordham.edu
- Wikipedia, "Pope Urban II" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Baldwin, "Some Recent Interpretations of Pope Urban II's Eastern Policy", The Catholic Historical Review, 1940, p. 459–466 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Pope Urban II (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Notable Figures
Elsewhere in Historical Figures
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced