Born:
Died: 1099
| Born in Chatillon-sur-Marne to a noble French family. Urban became a monk at Cluny and before the age of forty, became the Cardinal Bishop of Ostia. In 1088 he was made Pope. The German Emperor, Henry IV had asserted his power over the Papacy after the death of an earlier Pope, Gregory VII. Urban had been imprisoned by Henry for his support of a Gregory, but now as Pope, Urban used his authoritative skills to win over Henry and restore his power as Pope. Safely in power in the West, Urban turned his attention to the Christians in the East and Byzantine. The Byzantine Emperor, Alexius sent a delegation to see Urban in March 1095. At the meeting, the delegation told Urban and the assembled Bishops how the Christians in the East were being persecuted by the Turks. In November 1095, Urban addressed a large crowd at Clermont. Urban spoke to the crowd about fellow Christians being attacked and asked for Christians in the West to help. Urban promised those who died in battle full absolution and remission of their sins. He called for a Holy War. One man who came to hear about this war was Peter the Hermit. |