Pope Urban II: Call to Crusade

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 his high office for administrative blunders in 1097 and eventually retired to the priory of Senuc, dying around 1122. Other scholars identify him instead with a simple monk of Saint Rémi. His history of the First Crusade is best dated to 1107.

Baldric of Dol was also present at Clermont. He was a learned monk who became abbot of the Benedictine abbey of Bourgueil in 1089. There he wrote verse in imitation of the poets of ancient Rome. In 1107 he was appointed archbishop of Dol in Brittany. He wrote his Historia Jerosolimitana in 1108.

Guibert of Nogent did not attend the Council of Clermont. He was from a noble family in northern France and entered the Benedictine abbey of Saint Germer-de-Fly as a youth. In 1104 he became abbot of Nogent-sous-Coucy. He was a prolific author, most famous today for his autobiography, De vita sua. He composed his history of the First Crusade, Gesta Dei per Francos (The Deeds of God Performed through the Franks), between 1104 and 1108, with final corrections completed in 1111.