Time of brutality but also of major faith, the first centuries of the Average Age knew since Charlemagne a ceaseless fight against the inaccurate ones: Moslems of Spain and pagan of the European East. To XIe century, the field of these engagements is extended; indeed the Turks after having taken Jerusalem forbade the Christians to achieve their traditional pilgrimage there.
The voyage which the pope Urbain II undertook into 1095 and who was to lead it on the roads of France during one year whole inserts within the historical framework of the reform of the Church and the Christian reconquest whose Crusade became, for the contemporaries, the supreme achievement.
To make free the access to the holy places, the pope Urbain II, into 1095, has Clermont the idea of Crusade launched. An irresistible movement involved Christendom has the conquest of Jerusalem which was carried out into 1099.
This monk clunisien becomes pope into 1088. He joins together in Clermont-Ferrand a council into 1095 and preaches the First Crusade which will leave the following year under the command évèque Puy, Adhémar de Monteil.
The council proceeds of November 14 at November 28 1095. The pope denounces the abuses the clergy and the seizure of laic of the Church. He wants to impose " trêve of God ". The last day, it calls with the delivery of the Holy Places. One knows that his public was composed of 13 archbishops, 315 évèques and abbots, and of a large crowd of lords and knights. They answered the call of Urbain II by protesting " God wants it!".
Consequently the Crusade did not cease any more and each year of the thousands of men left to make the war against the inaccurate ones, but well little achieved their goal.
The crusades had considerable consequences: new influences penetrated in Europe, knowledge widened; the overflowing activity of the lords (and it was essence there in the immediate future), instead of being spent in internal and sterile fights, went to wear with far for the great benefit from Western Europe.
Ce qui, dès 1096, devient "Croisade", est pour Urbain II une entreprise de reconquête dont le succès rendra possible la restauration - tant morale que territoriale ! - de la chrétienté, selon la volonté de Dieu. Ainsi, il est méritoire, et c'est même un devoir pour qui porte des armes, d'aller au combat pour libérer ses frères, libérer non seulement des terres et des villes chrétiennes, mais la Terre Sainte et la Ville Sainte: Jérusalem.