In November 1095, Pope Urban II delivered a speech at the Council of Clermont, calling Christians to participate in the Crusades to aid the Byzantine Empire and reclaim the Holy Land from Muslim control. The appeal was in response to the increasing threat of the Seljuk Turks, who were attacking Christian pilgrims and advancing toward Constantinople. Urban II aimed to unite Christian Europe under papal authority while portraying the Turks as heretical enemies, inspiring fervent enthusiasm among the audience with the rallying cry, “Deus Vult!” Accounts of the speech differ, but the primary objective remained clear: a righteous crusade to liberate the Eastern churches and protect Christendom.