Urban+II

=Urban II=

toc Urban II, (originally known as Odo or Otho) was born into a knightly family of Lagary, Champagne, France in 1042. He grew up studying the church and as a young man he became canon and archdeacon in Reims. After retiring from that in about 1070, Urban II joined a Cluny monastery where he fell under the power of St. Hugh. As time went on, St. Hugh sent him off to Rome to serve under the power of Pope Gregory VII. "Gregory designated him as one of the four most worthy man to have succeeded him". Taking the Power from Gregory VII, Urban showed greater flexibility and diplomatic skill. He was elected Pope Urban II on March 12th, 1088 by fourty cardinals, bishops, and abbots at Terracina.



While in control as pope, he maintained an alliance with the Norman Duke Roger, Robert Guiscard's son and successor. He spent his first half of his reign dealing with political division and war in Italy, then turned his attention to the East. Urban II aided Prince Conrad in his rebellion against his father and crowned him king of the Romans at Milan in 1093.

During the summer of 1095 he crossed the Alps and remained over a year in France and Burgundy. Pope Urban II held a large council with many attendees at Clermont in November of that same year. There he proclaimed the @First Crusade to regain the Holy Land. He urged Christians to take up the cross and strive for a cause that promised not merely spiritual rewards but material gain as well. As he ended his impassioned appeal an uproar rose and he declared that //Deus Vult//! meaning God wills!. //Deus Vult// became the slogan for the crusaders in Battle.



Pople Urban II promised many spiritual promises to the crusaders including full forgiveness of their past sins. Until his death, he was fully engaged in war against the infidels. Through many hard years of battling, Urban died on July 29th, 1099, fourteen days after the capture of Jerusalem and before the tidings of that event had reached Italy.