Gregory Vii Papacy

Words: 1064
Pages: 5

During the early 11th century disputes over the church began to take root. Gregory VII began to implement the power of the papacy in the Roman Catholic church. One factor of this new entitlement allowed popes the power of excommunication, which was a deathly weapon to use as a catapult into the Crusades. Along with excommunication came the power of admission into heaven if granted by the pope himself, who claimed to have the power invested in him to do so. As a result, when Urban II came into power in 1088, he began to put into practice these claims of Gregory VII. Consequently, when Alexius, the emperor of the eastern Roman Empire, called on the western Roman Empire for help to fight against the Turks for the Holy Land, Urban II’s new found …show more content…
For Urban II, the cry of help from the eastern Roman Empire seemed to be a perfect way to practice and to establish the authority of the papacy. During the Speech at the Council of Clermont, Urban II sates, “All who die by the way, whether by land or by sea, or in a battle against the pagan, shall have immediate remission of sins. This I grant them through the power of God with which I am invested.”, this speech inevitably puts an emphasis on the authority of the pope on behalf of those who will go on the Crusades. Urban II made it look as if there is no reason not to go as he continues in his speech, “Let those who have been serving mercenaries for small pay now obtain the eternal reward. Let those who have been wearing themselves out in both body and soul now work for a double honor”. For the Crusaders, this seemed to be a way of honor and financial prosperity while also reclaiming the Holy Lands with their “brethren” of the …show more content…
However, ill intensions could be attributed to all sides of those involved in the Crusades. One powerful leader that arose during this hostility was Saladin, a Muslim military leader who reclaimed Jerusalem in 1187. Saladin states, “Now God has reserved the merit of its recovery for one house, the house of the sons of Ayyub [Saladin’s family], to unite all hearts in appreciation of its members”. Saladin felt as if Jerusalem belonged to him and his country, whereas the Christians felt as if Jerusalem belonged to them. Nonetheless, even opposition within the Christian religion was lit when the Crusaders also ransacked the eastern Roman Empire. This interaction is shown in The Stack of Constantinople, Nicetas Choniates asserts, “They snatched the precious reliquaries, thrust into their bosoms the ornaments which these contained…precursors of Anti-Christ, authors and heralds of his nefarious deeds…some lost their footing on the splendid and slippery pavement, were stabbed when they fell, so that the sacred pavement was polluted with blood and filth”. This conflict dived Rome even deeper and began to reveal what the Crusade was really about to the Crusaders, money, leading to a devastating