Urbain II

Eudes de Châtillon or Odon de Lagery , born with the Châtillon-on-Marne or Lagery in 1042, died with Rome on July 29th 1099, 157e Pope under the name of Urbain II (1088 - 1099).

Biography

Born in the Champagne nobility in 1042, in the the Marne, Eudes is pupil with Rheims of the écolâtre Bruno, future founder of the Chartreux, also called Brunon of Cologne. It receives the training of monk Bénédictin, it becomes initially canon then Archidiacre in Rheims. It is made then monk with the Abbaye of Cluny in 1067, of which it becomes the large prior towards 1073, under the abbatiat of Hugues de Semur. There there remains ten years, and is formed with the European ecclesiastical policy, forges its convictions there. In the search of monks clunisiens to carry out his reform, Gregoire VII the fact of coming to Rome in 1079-1080 and names it cardinal - bishop of Ostie. He becomes an intimate adviser of the pope, and supports the Gregorian Réforme. This one, launched by Nicolas II and Alexandre II even by Leon IX, aims at making independent papacy of the temporal powers (opposite of the spiritual powers). The Church is found thus in confrontation with the Empereur, guard of the temporal one. The confrontation reaches its paroxysm with Gregoire VII, driven out Rome and replaced by a Antipape, Clément III. Eudes is named Légat in France and Germany, with an aim of dislocating Clément III, and meets Henri IV for this purpose in 1080, in vain. It chairs several Synode S, of which that of Quedlinburg (1085) which condemns the partisans of the emperor Henri IV and the antipape Clément III, i.e. Guibert de Ravenne.

At the end of the short pontificate of Victor III, successor of Gregoire VII, Eudes convene the bishops in favor of the Gregorian Reform with Terracina, in the Latium: Rome is with the hands of the partisans of Clément III. There, he is elected pope then devoted on March 12th 1088 under the name of Urbain II. Its first act is to solemnly affirm its fidelity with the work of Gregoire VII; it renews the judgments of this last as regards ecclesiastical Discipline: Simony (traffic of spiritual goods), Nicolaïsme (“incontinence” of the clergy) or nomination of the clerks by the laic ones. On the other hand, it is shown more flexible than Gregoire, in particular on the cases of ordered clerks by bishops simoniaques or schismatic: he regards their ordination as valid, thus attracting himself criticisms of theologists like Bonizo de Sutri, Deusdedit or Bruno de Segni. To make more flexible the judgments, it applies the doctrines of the exemption according to Yves of Chartres. It spares Guillaume II of England in conflict with Anselme, the Archevêque of Canterbury which wants to ensure the independence of the Church with respect to the king. In same logic, it consolidates papacy by making Hispanic kingdoms and Sicily of the vassal States of the Holy See. Urbain II continues to be pressed on the Ordre of Cluny and the sovereigns.

Its position is difficult. It cannot return to Rome, occupied by Clément III. It tries to take it again in 1089, but is driven out by Henri IV the following year. By its policy moderated in France and England, it creates a Roman left in its favor, isolates the emperor. It must face personally the Schisme imperial party, of which it triumphs with the assistance over Conrad, wire of Henri IV. In 1093, Urbain II can regain Rome. It buys the rendering of the Palais of Lateran the following year, and makes fall the Château Saint-Angel in 1098, thus completing its reconquest of the city.

Its policy becomes more rigorous then. The exemption, which places the abbeys under the direct responsibility of the pope, is largely practiced, relates to all the clunisiens establishments. The regular Chanoine S are created, the re-used Légat S, the founded primacy S. It chairs the councils of Plaisance and Clermont in 1095. During the first, it invalidates all the ordinations carried out by Guibert de Ravenne after its judgment. He also condemns the theses of Bérenger of Turns which affirms, against the thesis of the Transsubstantiation, the character symbolic system of the presence of the Christ in the Eucharistie. Lastly, answering the call of the Byzantine emperor Alexis I {{er}} Comnène, it exhorts the Christians of Occident to defend those of the East. The Gregorian reform starts to succeed, the Church is independent and Clement III is isolated.

The values of the Church completely continue in the feudal company. The action of the kings is influenced by the oath of the Sacre: to maintain justice, to defend the weak ones. Plunderings, wars private are fought by the Paix of God with leagues for peace, of the police force organized by the bishops. Urbain II devotes the Truce of God to the council of Clermont in 1095, which suspends the war at devoted times.

In Clermont, on November 18th, 1095, in front of 13 archbishops and 225 bishops, Urbain II reiterates the judgment of the laic and prohibited nomination to the clerks to pay homage to laic, even a king. He solemnly proclaims the Truce of God, already announced in preceding synods. It is as on this occasion as it renews the Excommunication marked by the bishop Hugues of Lyon against the king of France Philippe I {{er}} for its remarriage with Bertrade de Montfort. Lastly, on November 27th, he preaches the Croisade, conceived by him like a means of unifying Western Christendom under the pontifical authority. He fixes the beginning at August 15th, 1096 of it; to ensure the spiritual direction of it, it names Adhémar de Monteil, bishop of the Puy, the military command returning to Raymond IV of Toulouse. In parallel, he encourages the Reconquista or reconquest of the Spain occupied by the Moors. This call appears in contradiction with the ancestral values of the Church. It is actually a logical evolution. The holy war had appeared with the emperor, in order to increase Christian space. In a feudal world where the reports/ratios of power are played by the force (the diplomacy is non-existent), the holy war makes it possible the knighthood to go to make the war elsewhere. The crusade is in fact an attempt at pacification. To justify it, Urbain II grants the plenary indulgence, the remission of all the sins. He develops his objectives in several letters with the clergies of various areas of Europe. The passion large, is relayed by preachers like Pierre the Hermit, followed by nearly 150.000 men. The armies leave to the cry “God wants it! ”.

Urbain II dies on July 29th 1099, before learning the news from the conquest of Jerusalem, fallen on July 15th. He is béatifié on July 14th, 1881 by Leon XIII.

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