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Pope Urban II

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Religious Figure

The Resume

    (1042-July 29, 1099)
    Birth name was Otho
    Pope of the Catholic Church (1088-1099)
    Gave a speech at the Council of Clermont
    Known for starting the First Crusades

Why he might be annoying:

    He was born into nobility.
    He is credited with starting the religious wars between Christianity and Muslims that lasted for centuries.
    He used his papal powers to gain political sway in Europe.
    He excommunicated Philippe I of France for his repeated marital infidelities.
    He excommunicated Henry IV of the Holy Roman Empire because of his desire to place secular leaders at important religious posts.
    Henry IV had to beg on his knees in order for his excommunication to be lifted, which it was under certain conditions Henry IV violated once again.
    He constantly belittled the Turks and underestimated their fighting strength as a method to unite European armies against them.
    He desperately wanted Jerusalem back into Christian hands.
    He recommended freeing the prisons and using the prisoners as soldiers against the Turks.
    His encouragement of the Crusades lead to as many as nine other crusades that weren't nearly as effective.

Why he might not be annoying:

    His inspiring of the Crusades lead to a cultural revolution in Europe with many famous pieces of art created during this period.
    He managed to unite a great deal of European heads of state against a common foe.
    He was a gifted orator, and it is said that his single speech at the Council of Clermont was one of the most effective speeches in European history.
    After that speech, most of the European Christian nations were ready to fight the Turks.
    He died fourteen days after the fall of Jerusalem to the Crusaders. But, as news was slow to arrive back then, he did not lived to hear about it.
    He brought into the Catholic sphere of influence Campagna and Sicily by establishing a secular ruler on the Sicilian border.
    He was one of the most effective and powerful popes in Catholic history.

Credit: Captain Howdy


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 174 Votes: 47.70% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 8 Votes: 12.50% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 13 Votes: 38.46% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 26 Votes: 30.77% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 127 Votes: 51.18% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 139 Votes: 46.76% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 12 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 25 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 24 Votes: 54.17% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 32 Votes: 53.12% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 72 Votes: 48.61% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 14 Votes: 35.71% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 162 Votes: 46.91% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 55 Votes: 38.18% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 73 Votes: 41.10% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 90 Votes: 63.33% Annoying
    In 2006, Out of 472 Votes: 48.31% Annoying
    In 2005, Out of 892 Votes: 43.27% Annoying