But if you are hindered by love of children, parents, or of wife, remember what the Lord says in the Gospel, 'He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me', 'Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.'
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.
"Let those who have been hired as mercenaries for trivial pay, now earn an eternal reward."
"Let those who have been accustomed to make private war against the faithful carry on an approved war against the infidels."
"O most valiant soldiers and descendants of invincible ancestors, do not degenerate, but recall the valor of your forefathers."
"Let those who have been serving as mercenaries for small pay now obtain the eternal reward."
"Let your arms be stained with the blood of the infidels."
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.
Speech at the Council of Clermont, encouraging crusaders to prioritize the holy war over family ties.
Date: 1095
BiblicalFound in 1 providers: gemini
1 source checked
Devotion to God must outrank even the deepest family bonds. If attachment to children, parents, or a spouse makes someone hesitate before answering a sacred call, Christ's own words settle the matter: divine loyalty comes first. Those who surrender family ties for God's name will receive a hundredfold reward in this life and inherit eternal life, making earthly sacrifice not a loss but the most profitable exchange imaginable.
Urban II was a Cluniac monk before becoming pope, meaning he had already personally renounced family life through monastic vows. His entire papacy centered on Church reform and asserting papal supremacy over secular rulers. At Clermont in 1095, he needed to convince feudal knights — men with wives, children, and lands — to march east. Citing Scripture directly was his method: he didn't ask them to abandon family, he let Christ's words command it.
Medieval Europe was structured entirely around blood loyalty — family, lord, and land defined a man's identity and obligations. The idea that any cause could legally override those bonds was socially radical. In 1095, Seljuk Turks controlled Jerusalem and had crushed Byzantine forces at Manzikert. Urban needed knights bound by feudal inheritance to voluntarily leave estates vulnerable. Reframing departure as Gospel obedience — not disloyalty — was the only rhetorical lever powerful enough to override medieval society's foundational social contracts.
AI-generated insights based on extensive research and information for context. Factual errors? Email [email protected].
Your cart is empty
