The Council of Clermont took place form November 18, 1095 CE to November 28, 1095 CE. This significant event took place in Clermont, France and was the point at which Pope Urban II declared the need for the Catholic Church and its supporters to deploy to Jerusalem to take the city back from the Seljuk Turks. On November 27 Pope Urban gave his address declaring his support of this campaign. A man named Robert the Monk recounts this day and the speech given by Pope Urban II. The Pope declared that the kingdoms of Europe put aside their differences in order to unite to expel the Islamic rule from their Holy city of Jerusalem. He declared that the Catholic people should band together. Pope Urban II’s speech is full of religious verbiage and used the religion as an excuse to commit horrid acts. According to the account of Robert the Monk, Pope Urban II says, “This royal city, however, situated at the center of the earth, is now held captive by the enemies of Christ and is subjected, by those who do not know God, to the worship the heathen. She seeks, therefore, and desires to be liberated and ceases not to implore you to come to her aid. From you especially she asks succor, because as we have already said, God has conferred upon you above all other nations great glory in arms” (Robert 1996). This statement by Pope Urban states that the Islamic people are the enemy of Christ and with that statement Pope Urban II was able to rally everyone behind this one cause. His claim that Jerusalem wants to be liberated from its current rulers is a bold statement considering the Pope is not from there and has no ties to Jerusalem, except for his connection to the Byzantine Emperor who has requested this kind of assistance from the Pope.

Robert. “Urban II: Speech at Clermont 1095 (Robert the Monk Version).” Internet History Sourcebooks Project, January 26, 1996. https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/urban2a.asp.