On this day in 1095, Pope Urban II called for Christian princes across Europe to launch a war against Muslims in order to reclaim the Holy Land, promising to all those who went forgiveness of their sins and to all who died in the expedition immediate entry into heaven. Between 60,000 and 100,000 people responded to Urban's call to march on Jerusalem. After gaining control of the city in July 1099, the Crusaders set up several Latin Christian states. It was, however, a short victory. Less than fifty years later, Muslims once again conquered Jerusalem. All told, Europe launched a total of seven major Crusades over nearly 200 years.
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On this day in 1517, Martin Luther posted his “95 Theses” on the door of the Castle Church of Wittenberg. In them, Luther set forth two central beliefs – that the Bible is the central religious authority and that humans may reach salvation only by their faith and not by their deeds. He also condemned the excesses and corruption of the Roman Catholic Church, especially the papal practice of asking payment – called “indulgences” – for the forgiveness of sins. These revolutionary ideas formed the basis for the Protestant Reformation.
To learn more about Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation, try the following resources:
All of my posts on European history can be found here. |