The Crusades were specific military campaigns that were lead by the Pope, and fought using the power of the Lords from the middle ages, who allied themselves with the Byzantine empire. In 1095, Emperor Alexius of the Byzantine Empire sent couriers to Pope Urban II, requesting troops and assistance to help combat the Turkish armies that were slashing through the East. During the month of November in 1095, Pope Urban II called a large number of his followers to a meeting known as the Council of Claremont. During this meeting, the Pope instructed the western Christians who were under his guidance to begin a military escapade to the holy land to aid their allies in the war against the invading muslim Turks. Unsurprisingly, the Pope’s instructions were very seriously, and many Christians volunteered to become a part of the first Crusade.
The objectives of the Crusades were quite simple; expel the muslim Turks from the Holy Land of Jerusalem, stop the advance of muslim forces into the Byzantine Empire, and to conquer the lands of the Pagan people. Because Europe was just beginning to emerge from the dark ages, people living across Europe still believed fiercely in Christianity, and took the interpreted the words and wishes of the Pope as commands from god. During this time, religion affected many aspects of everyday life; bad fortune was often attributed to divine intervention instead of chance, and people assumed that they had done something to warrant the events. Because of this strong belief in the Catholic church, Pope Urban was able to gather even more of a following when he proclaimed that anyone who went on the Crusades to fight the muslim imposters would have all of their sins forgiven.
