Pope Urban II proclaimed this crusade through a document given to the church clergy and lay folk at the time. This took in a field at Clermont in Central France, and we don't exactly know what the pope said.
"There are no records of exactly what Urban said, but it seems he began with a general denouncement of the continual warfare which plagued the Europe of his day. He then described in lurid detail the attacks of the Turks upon the Christian Byzantine Empire, and begged the soldiers present to travel to the east to attack the Muslims, rather than their fellow Christians." (source)
Pope Urban wanted it the expedition to the Eastern region to be as military-like as possible.
"Pope Urban had wanted the expedition to the East to be a military one, undertaken by soldiers and controlled by clerics. But such was the appeal of his call for the liberation of the Eastern Church that soon tens of thousands of ordinary people were on the People's Crusade."
(same source)
(same source)
There were many true and devoted Christians who were anxious to reclaim Jerusalem. In the name of their religion, they wanted all Muslims to leave their city. The Christians said that the Muslims were committing sins and they would be forgiven as a result of the Crusade. They also told the pope that if they were to be killed, their souls would automatically be sent to Heaven because they were fighting in the name of the Lord. (source)
The journey to the Eastern regions was a very difficult one. The Crusaders were unable to cross by sea, therefore, they were forced to cross by land. They fought through armies, battled weather, and even struggles with diseases. By the year 1097, about 10,000 people had gathered at Constantinople. They were ready for their journey into the Holy Land, Jerusalem, sparking the crusades to come.
The journey to the Eastern regions was a very difficult one. The Crusaders were unable to cross by sea, therefore, they were forced to cross by land. They fought through armies, battled weather, and even struggles with diseases. By the year 1097, about 10,000 people had gathered at Constantinople. They were ready for their journey into the Holy Land, Jerusalem, sparking the crusades to come.
