Urban II: Call to Crusade (1095) Commentary by Michael Lower, University of Minnesota

About the Author

The four main versions of Pope Urban’s sermon are found in histories of the First Crusade written by churchmen within a decade of the expedition. Fulcher of Chartres was a cleric who may have been present at Clermont. He took the cross in response to Urban’s preaching and joined the forces of Stephen of Blois when they departed for the East in October 1096. By October 1097 he had become chaplain to another powerful crusader, Baldwin of Boulogne; Fulcher retained that position after Baldwin became king of Jerusalem in 1100. In Jerusalem, Fulcher composed his history of the First Crusade, the Historia Hierosolymitana, completing the first version around 1106.

At the beginning of his Historia Iherosolimitana, Robert of Reims (called Robert the Monk in the document) indicates that he was present at the Council of Clermont. He is sometimes identified with an abbot of the Benedictine abbey of Saint Rémi of Reims who, though esteemed as a scholar, was expelled from...