Who preached the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont?

Who preached the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont? Pope Urban II did.

At the Council of Clermont in France, Urban II delivered his famous appeal on 27 November 1095. He urged Western Christians to aid the Byzantine Empire and recover Jerusalem and other holy sites from Muslim rule. His speech helped launch the First Crusade, which began in 1096.

The sermon was delivered outdoors to accommodate the large crowd, and no exact contemporary transcript survives. Later writers recorded different versions, so historians debate the precise wording while agreeing on its importance. Urban reportedly called for armed pilgrimage, promised spiritual rewards, and used the cry “Deus vult,” meaning “God wills it.”

A common mix-up is confusing Urban II with Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. Alexios requested military assistance against the Seljuk Turks, but Urban transformed that appeal into a broader religious expedition. Urban died in 1099, shortly before learning that crusading armies had captured Jerusalem.