This week in Christian history: TBN founder dies, John of the Cross founds monastery, First Crusade begins

First Crusade launched – Nov. 27, 1095

This week marks the anniversary of when Pope Urban II gave a speech at the Council of Clermont that launched the first of a series of wars aimed at taking back the Holy Land for Christendom, known as the Crusades.

The pontiff’s call for a crusade came in response to a request from Byzantine Emperor Alexius I, who wanted Western Europe to help reclaim the region recently conquered by the Islamic Seljuk Turks.

Urban II implored the hundreds of clergy in attendance “to publish this everywhere and to persuade all people of whatever rank, foot-soldiers and knights, poor and rich, to carry aid promptly to those Christians and to destroy that vile race from the lands of our friends.”

“O what a disgrace if such a despised and base race, which worships demons, should conquer a people which has the faith of omnipotent God and is made glorious with the name of Christ! With what reproaches will the Lord overwhelm us if you do not aid those who, with us, profess the Christian religion,” he continued, as recorded by the chronicler Fulcher of Chartres.

“Let those who have been accustomed unjustly to wage private warfare against the faithful now go against the infidels and end with victory this war which should have been begun long ago. Let those who for a long time, have been robbers, now become knights. Let those who have been fighting against their brothers and relatives now fight in a proper way against the barbarians.”