Author Bio: Robert the Monk was one of the
chroniclers of the First Crusade. Little is known about the life of Robert
except he identifies himself as a monk from Reims. He writes his chronicle as
though he was present at the crusade, but he never partook of the
expedition.
Date/Context: This piece, “The speech of Pope Urban II at Clermont” was drafted after the Council of Clermont, which launched the First Crusade. Pope Urban II presided at the council and pleaded with the people to take action against the Infidel Muslims who held control of the Holy Land. There are five versions of Urban II’s plea, though Robert the Monk’s version is said to be the most credible.
Summary: This speech is basically a call to action by Pope Urban II to the Roman Catholic People. He is persuading them to declare war against the Muslims who took control of the Holy Land. He begins his speech by telling the people the account of how the Holy Land was taken over. He continues by speaking about what the attackers did to the inhabitants, and how they desecrated the churches. He then goes on by calling the Catholic Men to fight. He asks them to stop fighting amongst each other, and begin to fight for the common good to win back what is rightfully theirs, the Holy Land. After the conclusion of the speech, the people present begin to chant, in unison “It is the will of God (306).” The pope then comments on that unison by citing the Gospel of Matthew “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst (Matt 18:20).” He speaks of God’s intercession on the crowd and the Pope declares “It is the will of God (306)” as their battle cry.
Key Quotation: “Set out on the road to the holy sepulcher, take the land from the wicked people, and make it your own (306).”
Date/Context: This piece, “The speech of Pope Urban II at Clermont” was drafted after the Council of Clermont, which launched the First Crusade. Pope Urban II presided at the council and pleaded with the people to take action against the Infidel Muslims who held control of the Holy Land. There are five versions of Urban II’s plea, though Robert the Monk’s version is said to be the most credible.
Summary: This speech is basically a call to action by Pope Urban II to the Roman Catholic People. He is persuading them to declare war against the Muslims who took control of the Holy Land. He begins his speech by telling the people the account of how the Holy Land was taken over. He continues by speaking about what the attackers did to the inhabitants, and how they desecrated the churches. He then goes on by calling the Catholic Men to fight. He asks them to stop fighting amongst each other, and begin to fight for the common good to win back what is rightfully theirs, the Holy Land. After the conclusion of the speech, the people present begin to chant, in unison “It is the will of God (306).” The pope then comments on that unison by citing the Gospel of Matthew “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst (Matt 18:20).” He speaks of God’s intercession on the crowd and the Pope declares “It is the will of God (306)” as their battle cry.
Key Quotation: “Set out on the road to the holy sepulcher, take the land from the wicked people, and make it your own (306).”
Your key quotation was excellent. I felt that it was a good "thesis" or summary of the overall idea that Pope Urban II is trying to get across. I also liked how you pointed out the various records of Urban II's plea and made the strong case for reclaiming the holy land because "it was the will of God".
ReplyDeleteIt is excellent overall. Perhaps you could have expanded a little more on who Pope Urban II was and how much power he had. Also, how was Urban II biased and did he have more political power that would have urged him to promote the Crusade. Finally, I might have expanded on how Urban II defined the Muslims as evil (what did they do to the inhabitants?). But overall, a very good job! Well done!
Well done! Although there is very little known of Robert the Monk, his chronicle of the First Crusade is generally believed to be the most accurate. Urban II (r. 1088-1099), a French pope, skilled diplomat, and shrewd politician is credited with helping to rebuild the credibility of the papacy after the Investiture Controversy. This document is a passionate plea for men to stop fighting eachother ("let you hatred and quarrels cease, your civil wars come to an end..") and to turn toward the East in a holy mission. Further, establishes the "indulgence" - a remission of sin for those who set forth on the Crusade. Finally, this document is an impassioned plea and call to defend Christianity against "infidels."
ReplyDeleteAnother quote to consider: "The sad news has come from Jerusalem and Constantinople that the pople of Persia, an accursed and foreign race, enemies of God, a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God, have invaded the lands of those Christians and devastated them with the sword, rapine, and fire."