Long before the First Crusade, many Catholics made pilgrimages to Jerusalem to venerate the places sanctified by the presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ. A good number of them made these pilgrimages in reparation for their sins.
Newsdesk (26/01/2023 18:40, Gaudium Press) The Duke of Normandy, Robert I, the father of William the Conqueror, who was accused of committing a serious crime, travelled to Jerusalem in 1035 accompanied by many knights, barons and other nobles. He was very rich and, according to the chronicles of the time, he walked barefoot wearing pilgrim’s clothes.
After having prayed in various places in the Holy City, he left for France, but fell seriously ill near Nicea, Turkey. He refused the services of his vassals and wanted to be carried on a litter by Muslims, to whom he provided money. A Norman pilgrim having asked him what message he wished to convey to his country, the Duke replied, “Go tell my people that you have seen a Christian prince taken to Paradise by demons.”[1]
Soon after, Duke Robert passed away. He was 25 years old.
Churches in ruins, robbers circulated freely
In 1064, 7,000 thousand pilgrims set out from Germany for Jerusalem under the direction of the Archbishop of Mainz and three other prelates. They were welcomed in Constantinople by Emperor Constantine X.
In the vicinity of the Holy City, 12,000 Arabs attacked them to exterminate them. Although the Catholics defended themselves heroically, 5,000 died. The others managed to escape and, for a high price, entered Jerusalem. They visited the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre and other holy places; they observed that several churches were in ruins and that in the streets robbers circulated freely.
When they returned to Germany, they were told that the Arabs were attacking Catholics at the instigation of Jews. This generated in the population a movement of indignation against the latter. Pope Alexander II, in order to avoid murder, placed the Israelites under the protection of the Holy See.
At that time, Islam dominated Palestine, Egypt and some countries in Africa; it had made Sicily and the southern regions of Spain its outposts, threatening the whole of Europe.
In places where Jews resided, they supported the Islamists as they had done with regard to the Barbarians, for they were united with all that opposed the Catholic Church.[2]
Four great armies
During this period, peoples originating from Tatarstan – between China and Russia – conquered Persia, Syria, Turkey, becoming Mohammedans, and became known as the Turks. They founded an empire, whose capital was Nicaea, and dominated Jerusalem in 1076. The Arabs had tormented the Catholics in the Holy City greatly, but with the Turks this persecution became very cruel.
After the Council of Clermont, in November 1095, torrents of graces flowed into the West. The whole population was preparing for the Crusade; arms and banners were being blessed in the churches. No more were robberies and assaults heard of. Women sold their jewellery to finance the war expenses, and the most zealous prepared themselves for combat.
Under the spiritual direction of Bishop Ademar de Monteil, four great armies were formed, which were to meet in Constantinople:
– French of the North, Belgians and Germans, captained by Godfrey de Bouillon, Duke of Lorraine;
– Central France and Normandy, commanded by Count Hugo de Vermandois, brother of the King of France, Philip I;
– French from the South, under the orders of Raymond de Saint-Gilles, Count of Toulouse;
– Normans from Southern Italy, led by Bohemond, Prince of Taranto.
It was necessary that a monarch be supreme commander. The Emperor Henry IV and King Philip I were excommunicated; the King of England, William ‘Rufus’ [the Red], was persecuting the Church.
So St Ladislaus, King of Hungary, was chosen. Papal legates came to that country, and he accepted with great joy this very high mission.
He brought into force the laws dictated by Saint Stephen
Saint Ladislaus had been unanimously elected king in 1077, and had declared that he would only assume power if Solomon, who was his cousin and had usurped the throne, formally abdicated.
The latter did indeed abdicate, but shortly afterwards he wanted to retake the kingdom. He waged wars against Saint Ladislaus, in which he was always defeated. Finally, abandoned by his followers, he repented and entered a monastery where, after 20 years of penitential life, he died.
Croatia was being hit by serious internal convulsions in 1091. At that time, the most prominent of its princes begged the intervention of Saint Ladislaus, who went there, punished the rebels, pacified the country and annexed it to Hungary.
Claiming that Croatia belonged to the government of Byzantium, Emperor Alexis Comneno sent troops to invade Hungary, and Saint Ladislaus with his valiant soldiers defeated them. To complete his victory he conquered some cities of Serbia, which were under the rule of the Byzantine Empire.
He attacked the Tartars who continually invaded various regions killing their inhabitants, and drove them back to their deserts. And he made the Turks, Bulgarians and Serbs tributaries of Hungary. In harmonious balance with his great combativeness, he was gifted with great kindness and generosity. He often gave alms to the poor and founded several monasteries.
St. Gregory VII wrote him a letter congratulating him on his piety, zeal and devotion, recommending to him some faithful unjustly exiled from Rome, whom St. Ladislaus ensured were generously received.
The Martyrology says that Saint Ladislaus established in his kingdom the Christian laws dictated by Saint Stephen, King of Hungary, corrected customs, setting himself an example of virtue, and propagated the Catholic Faith in Croatia, which had been incorporated into the Hungarian kingdom, establishing the Episcopal See of Zagreb, the capital of that nation.
This great fighter, who aimed to glorify the Church, died on June 27th, 1095, in the city of Nitra, near the Carpathian Mountains – a large mountain range in Eastern Europe – when he began a war against the evildoers that infested Bohemia.
Thus the First Crusade, whose armies were already moving towards Jerusalem, was left without a king for a general on this earth, but obtained a great protector in heaven.[3]
Let us ask St. Ladislaus, whose memorial is celebrated on June 30th, to obtain from our Lady combativeness against our defects and against both the veiled and declared enemies of the Church, always with a view to establishing the Reign of Mary.
By Paulo Francisco Martos
Noções de História da Igreja
[1] MICHAUD, Joseph-François. História das Cruzadas. São Paulo: Editora das Américas. 1956, v. I, p. 57.
[2] Cf. DARRAS, Joseph Epiphane. Histoire Génerale de l’Église. Paris: Louis Vivès. 1875, v. 21, p. 430-432.
[3] Cf. DARRAS, op. cit. 1875, v. 23, p. 192-185; AIMOND, Charles. Le Moyen Âge. Paris: J. de Gigord. 1939, p. 136.
Compiled by Roberta MacEwan
