URBAN
211
URBAN
broach the subject of the Crusades. The Eastern
Emperor, Alexius I, had sent an embassy to the pope
asking for help against the Seljuk Turks who were a
serious menace to the Empire of Constantinople.
Urban succeeded in inducing many of those present
to promise to help Alexius, but no definite step was
taken 1)\- I'rban till a few months later, when he sum-
moned the most famous of his councils, that at
Clermont in Auvergne. The council met in Novem-
ber, 1005; thirteen archbishops, two hundred and
twenty-five bishops, and over ninety abbots answered
the jiope's summons. The synod met in the Church
of Notre-Dame du Port and began by reiterating the
Gregorian Decrees against simony, investiture, and
clerical marriage. The sentenee, which for some
months had been threatening Philip of F'rance, was
now launched against him, and he was excommuni-
cated for adultery. Then the burning question of the
East was discussed. Urban's reception in France
had been most enthusia.stic, and enthusiasm for the
Crusade had spread as the pope journeyed on from
Italy. Thousands of nobles and knights had met
together for the council. It w-as decided that an
army of horse and foot should march to rescue
Jerusalem and the Churches of Asia from the Saracens.
A plenarj' indulgence was granted to all who should
undertake the journey pro sola dcvotione, and further
to help the movement, the Truce of God was ex-
tended, and the property of those who had taken the
cross was to be looked upon as sacred. Those who
were unfitted for the expedition were forbidden to
undertake it, and the faithful were exhorted to take
the ad\'ice of their bishops and jiriests before starting.
Coming forth from the church the pope addressed the
immen.se nmltitude. He us<'d his wonderful gifts of
eloquence to the utmost, depicting the captivity of
the Sacred City where Christ h.id sutTered and died — •
"Let them turn their weapons drijiping with the
blood of their brothers again.st the enemy of the
Christian Faith. Let them — oppressors of orphans
and widows, murderers and violators of churches,
robbers of the property of others, vultures drawn by
the scent of battle — let them ha.sten, if they love their
souls, under their captain Christ to the rescue of
Sion." When the pope ceased to speak a mighty
shout of Deus lo volt rose from the throng. His most
sanguine hopes had not anticipated stich enthusiasm
as now prevailed. He was urged repeatedly to lead
the Crusade in person, but he appointed Ademar,
Bishop of Le Puy, in his stead, and leaving Clermont
travelled from city to city in France preaching the
Crusade. Letters were sent to bishops who had been
unable to attend the council, and preachers were sent
all over Europe to arouse enthusiasm. In every
possible way Urban encouraged people to take the
cross, and he did not easily dispense from their obliga-
tions those who had once bound themselves to under-
take the expedition.
In March, 1096, the pope held a synod at Tours and confirmed the excommunication of the French king, which certain members of the French episcopate had endeavoured to remove. In July, 1096, the king, having dismissed Bertrada, was absolved by I'rlian in a synod held at Nfmes, but having relapsed, he was again excommunicated by the pope's legate in 1097. Some of t he great er prelates of France had now to be brought to subjection to the pope, amongst them being the Archbishop of Vienne, who had re- fused to abide by the papal decision regarding the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Grenoble, and the Arch- bishop of Sens, who had declined to recognize the .Arch- bishop of Lyons as papal legate. After a triumphal progress through France, Urban returned to Italy. On his way to Rome he met the crusading princes at Lucca, and bestowed the banner of St. Peter upon Hugh of Vermandois. It is said by some that this crusading host enabled Urban to enter Rome, which
at this time was again held by the antipope. If this
was so, the entry appears, according to the statement
of an eyewitness, to have been effected without
fighting. No doubt the presence of well-disciplined
troops, under the most distinguished knights of
Christendom, struck terror into the wild partisans
of Guibert. But Urban's final triumph over the
"imbecile" was now assured. Northern and central
Italy were in the power of Matilda and Conrad, and
Henry was at last forced to leave. Italy. A council
was held in the Lateran in 1097, and before the end of
the year LIrban was able to go south again to solicit
help from the Normans to enable him to regain the
Castle of S. Angelo. The castle capitulated in
August, 1098. He was now enabled to enjoy a brief
period of repose after a life of incessant activity
and fierce strife, which had brought exile and want.
His friendship with the Normans was strengthened
by the appointment of Coimt Roger as papal legate
in Sicily, where the Church had been almo.st swe|)t
away by the Saracens; the antipope was within his
Archbishivjiric uf Ravenna, and Henry's power,
though strengthened by Count Welf, who had for-
saken Matilda, was not strong enough to be any
longer a serious menace.
In October, 1098, the pope held a council at Bari with the intention of reconciling the Greeks and Latins on the question of the filioque; one hundred and eighty bishops attended, amongst whom was St. Ansehn of Canterbury, who had fled to Urban to lay before him his complaints against the Red King. The close of November saw the pope again in Rome; it was his final return to the city. Here he held his la.st council in April, 1099. Once more he raised his eloquent voice on behalf of the Crusades, and many responded to his call. On 15 July, 1099, Jerusalem fell before the attack of the crusaders, but Urban did not live to hear the news. He died in the house of Pierleone which had so often given him shelter. His remains could not be buried in the Lateran because of Guibert's followers who were still in the city, but were con\-eyed to the crypt of St. Peter's where t hey were interred close to the tomb of Adrian I. Guibert of Nogent asserts that miracles were WTought at the tomb of LIrban, who ai)i)ears as a .saint in many of the Martyrologies. Thus there seems to have been a cult of Urban II from the time of his death, though the feast (29 July) has never been extended to the Uni- versal Church. Amongst the figures painted in the apse of the oratory built by Calixtus II in the Lateran Palace is that of Urban II with the words snnclus Urbaniis secumlu^ beneath it. The head is crowned by a square nimbus, and the pope is represented at the feet of Our Lady. The formal act of beatification did not take place till the pontificate of Leo XIII. The cause was introduced by Mgr Langenieux, Archbishop of Reims, in 1878, and after it had gone through the various stages the decision was given by Leo XIII on 14 July, 1881.
The sources are collerted in Watterich, Pontificum roman- orum vita, I (Leipzig, 1842), and the letters in ,Iaff£, Regesia Pontif. romanorum, I (I^ipzig, 1888), 657-701. See also P. L.. CLI; Liber Pontif., ed. DncHEsNE, II (Paris, 1892), 293-.5; Mann. Lims o/ the Popes, VII (London, 1910); Greoorovids, Pome in the Middle Ages, tr. Hamilton, IV (London, 1872), pt. I: Paclot, Un pape franfais, f/rfcnm // (Paris, 190.3); Lanoen (an ■' Old Catholic "), Gesch. der rUmisrh. Kirchevon Gregor VII. bis Innocem III (Bonn, 1893); Miujan, Hist, of Latin Christianity, IV (London, 1872).
R. Urban Butler.
Urban III, Pope (1185-87), b. at Milan; d. at Ferrara, 19 Oct., 1187. Uberto, of the noble Milanese family of the Crivelli, wa.s created cardinal by Lucius III in 1182 and Archbishoj, of Mil;ui in 1185. On 2.") Noveniber of this year Lucius died at V'erona, and the archbishoj) was elected to succeed him on the same d.ay; he w;ia crowned on 1 December. This haste was jirobably due to fear of imperial interference. Urban inherited from his predecessor a legacy of feud with
