Pope who called for the first Crusade

• A. Quran
• B. Tariq
• C. Great Schism
• D. Urban II

Answer: (D)

Urban II is the pope associated with initiating the First Crusade. He delivered the famous call at the Council of Clermont in 1095, urging Western Christians to take up the cross to aid the Byzantine Empire against the Seljuk Turks and to reclaim Jerusalem. He framed the undertaking as a penitential pilgrimage that would grant remission of sins for those who joined, which helped mobilize a wide range of people across Europe. This papal appeal directly sparked the organized Crusades that followed. The other options aren’t people who convened or commanded the Crusade: the Quran is a scripture, Tariq ibn Ziyad was a Muslim general, and the Great Schism refers to the 1054 split between Eastern and Western churches.