Roman Catholic Pope. The future Pope was born to a knightly family in the province of Champagne, in France, around 1042. Urban II was a strong supporter of church reforms, particularly those advocated by his predecessor, Pope Gregory VII. As part of his efforts at reform he established the Roman Curia. In March 1095, Urban received an embassy from the Byzantine emperor Alexius I Comnenus, asking help against the Turkish invaders that had captured several Byzantine towns. Urban decided to take things several steps further. He held a council at Clermont, where he called for a Crusade to free Jerusalem and the Holy Lands from the Muslims. As word spread throughout Europe, thus would follow the First Crusade. In the process of the Crusade, Jerusalem was actually captured by the Christian armies two weeks before Urban II died, but the news reached Rome too late for him to ever learn of what his fiery words had caused.
Roman Catholic Pope. The future Pope was born to a knightly family in the province of Champagne, in France, around 1042. Urban II was a strong supporter of church reforms, particularly those advocated by his predecessor, Pope Gregory VII. As part of his efforts at reform he established the Roman Curia. In March 1095, Urban received an embassy from the Byzantine emperor Alexius I Comnenus, asking help against the Turkish invaders that had captured several Byzantine towns. Urban decided to take things several steps further. He held a council at Clermont, where he called for a Crusade to free Jerusalem and the Holy Lands from the Muslims. As word spread throughout Europe, thus would follow the First Crusade. In the process of the Crusade, Jerusalem was actually captured by the Christian armies two weeks before Urban II died, but the news reached Rome too late for him to ever learn of what his fiery words had caused.
Bio by: Mongoose
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