Question #8b367
1 Answer
Christians and Muslims fought against one another during the Crusades, Pope Urban II call upon Christians to reclaim the Holy land in Israel.
Explanation:
The Seljuk Turks had conquered Jerusalem from the Shite Fatima rulers in Egypt. When the Sunni Seljuk Turks conquered Jerusalem They attempted to make Jerusalem a Holy City like Mecca. Christian pilgrims were not allowed to visit the Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. Reports of mistreatment of Christian pilgrims helped to spark the call for the Crusades.
Also the Seljuk Turks had conquered large sections of Turkey that had been part of the Eastern Roman Empire. The Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire appeal to Pope Urban II for help against the invading Turks, as his empire was in danger of being taken over by the Muslim Turks.
Pope Urban II might have thought that helping the Byzantine Empire might help heal the breach between the Roman Catholic Christians and the Greek Orthodox Christians. He may well have believed the reports of cruel mistreatment of Christian pilgrims to Jerusalem. What ever his motives Pope Urban II called for an military invasion of the lands conquered by the Turks and for a Christian conquest of Jerusalem that had been conquered by the Muslims in the 700s
