Today is the 914th anniversary of Pope Urban II's (ca.1035 – 1099) call at the Council of Clermont for a crusade to reclaim Jerusalem, exclaiming "Deus volt!" ("God wills it!"). The pilgrimages that Christians had been making to the Holy Land since the sixth century had suddenly ended when the Seljuk Turks captured Jerusalem. Wishing to strengthen the papacy, Urban had responded to the appeal of Byzantine Emperor Alexius I (1048 – 1118) for assistance against a threatened invasion by the Turks. He hoped the desire to take the Holy Land would unite European Christians, who had been bickering and fighting amoung themselves, and promised absolution and remission of sins for all those who died as martyrs for their faith. The undisciplined and untrained Crusaders were initially repelled, but their vast numbers ultimately let them defeat the Turks.

See http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=VideoArticle&id=52281 for more information.