Pope Urban II — "Arise, then, and go against this wicked race, and fight for the people of God!"
Arise, then, and go against this wicked race, and fight for the people of God!
Get This Quote & Author's Image Illustrated On:
Click any product to generate a realistic preview. Up to 3 at a time.
* Initial load can take up to 90 seconds — revising the preview in another color is nearly instant.
Kitchen
Apparel
Other
More from Pope Urban II
"Warriors who hear my voice, you who will go to war, rejoice, because you are taking up a legitimate war… Arm yourselves with the sword of the Maccabees and go to defend the house of Israel who is the …"
"What shall I say of the abominable rape of the women? To speak of it is worse than to be silent."
"Let those who have been fighting against their brothers and relatives now fight in a proper way against the barbarians."
"The land of promise, which the Lord gave to the children of Israel, is now occupied by the enemies of Christ."
"When they wish to torture people by a base death, they perforate their navels, and dragging forth the extremity of the intestines, bind it to a stake; then with flogging they lead the victim around un…"
About Pope Urban II (c. 1042-1099)
Pope (1088-1099) whose Council of Clermont speech (November 1095) launched the First Crusade — the founding event of nine centuries of Christian-Muslim military conflict. Closely associated with Pope Gregory VII (his predecessor on papal-imperial reform). For an intellectual contrast, see Saladin, Kurdish-Muslim Sultan of Egypt and Syria (1138-1193) — Saladin recaptured Jerusalem in 1187, undoing the First Crusade Urban II launched 92 years earlier. Saladin's chivalrous treatment of Christian prisoners became the canonical Muslim counter-image to Crusader brutality. The cleanest before/after pairing of the Crusades' moral arc.
Details
Speech at the Council of Clermont, as recorded by Robert the Monk
Date: 1095
Social & RacialVerification
Unverifiable
Found in 1 providers: grok
1 source checked
Understanding this quote
What it means
Rise up and take action against those you consider enemies, fighting on behalf of God's people. A direct call to arms framed as divine obligation—your violence is righteous because God sanctions it. The command collapses moral hesitation: obedience to this call is obedience to God himself, making warfare a form of worship.
Relevance to Pope Urban II
Urban II delivered this at the Council of Clermont in 1095, launching the First Crusade. As pope, he wielded spiritual authority to mobilize European nobility. He genuinely believed in liberating Jerusalem from Seljuk Turks and reuniting Eastern and Western Christianity. This quote is his actual rallying cry—the foundational act of his papacy and his enduring historical legacy.
The era
In 1095, Seljuk Turks controlled Jerusalem and had defeated the Byzantine Empire at Manzikert. Byzantine Emperor Alexios I appealed to Rome for help. Western Europe was a feudal warrior society with knights needing purpose and salvation. Urban channeled endemic violence outward, promising crusaders spiritual absolution—a perfect convergence of military culture, religious fervor, and geopolitical crisis.
AI-generated insights based on extensive research and information for context. Factual errors? Email [email protected].