History of the Crusades.

the Crusades. episodes.

Episode 5, the First Crusade Roman numeral One.

Hello again.

Last week we heard about the unmitigated disaster which was the Pezents Crusade.

This week we move on to the main event, the First Crusade, also known as the Prince's Crusade.

The First Crusade differed from the Pezants Crusade in a number of aspects.

First and foremost though was planning.

The Pope had overall control of the First Crusade and was able to exercise some degree of authority over the preparations for the event.

To start with, he set out a number of restrictions on who should participate in the crusade.

Whereas Peter was happy to take anyone who answered his rallying call, Pope Erben II had something

altogether different in mind.

He wanted to muster an army.

That meant encouraging knights and foot soldiers to sign up

while discouraging hangers-on. He decreed that newly-weared husbands were not to

embark on the crusade without their wives permission. He restricted the participation of

monks and clerics and said that unaccompanied women,

the elderly, the sick and the poor should not participate unless they were under the patronage of someone wealthy.

The church also decreed that each crusader was to wear a cross made out of red fabric,

which should be sewn onto the shoulder of his surcoat.

The wearing of the cross symbolized a solemn vow made by the wearer that he would go to Jerusalem.

If he deserted during the journey or failed to set out, he could be excommunicated.

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