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Pope Urban II's call for the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont

The Crusading movement was a major religious, political, and military endeavour of the Middle Ages, usually dated from the 1095 Council of Clermont. There Pope Urban II proclaimed the First Crusade in support of Eastern Christians under Muslim rule, framing it as a form of penitential pilgrimage. The crusaders founded four states in the Levant, the defence of which inspired further Crusades. The papacy later launched campaigns against Muslims in Iberia, pagans in the Baltic, and other opponents of its authority. Core crusading forces were heavily armed knights, backed by infantry, local troops, and naval aid from maritime cities. These papal-sanctioned wars fostered distinctive institutions and ideologies. Funding was initially improvised, but later supported via papal taxes on clergy and the sale of indulgences. The fusion of chivalric and monastic ideals led to the rise of military orders. The movement extended Western Christendom and left lasting marks on art and literature. (Full article...)