Question

The First Crusade was precipitated when the Byzantine emperor sent messengers to the pope to plead for mercenary troops to combat the Turks, but instead Pope Urban II issued a general call to arms to free Jerusalem.a) trueb) false

Answer 1

It's TRUE

Step-by-step explanation:

It was a political attempt to recover the Papal influence in the Eastern Empire, and at the same time, to retake the Holy Land for the Christians. Since the East-West Schism in 1053, the Church was separated and two powers dispute their influence in the Christian World (the Pope in Rome and the Bishop in Constantinople). At the same time, Jerusalem was under control of the Turks, and the pilgrims were massacred. It was an attempt to retake both influential locations for Christianity.