Pope Urban II, a Frenchman from Reims, who had been educated at the same famous cloister of Cluny which had trained Gregory VII, thought that the time had come for action. The general state of Europe was far from satisfactory. The primitive agricultural methods of that day(unchanged since Roman times) caused a constant scarcity of food. There was unemployment and hunger and these are apt to lead to discontent and riots. Western Asia in older days had fed millions. It was an excellent field for the purpose of immigration.
当时在位的是教皇乌尔班二世。此人生于法国的雷姆斯，在格利高里七世受教过的著名的克吕厄修道院接受过教育。他想，现在是应该采取行动的时候了。当时欧洲的状况不仅远不能令人满意，甚至称其糟糕也不为过。由于依然采用原始的农耕方法（自罗马时代一直未曾改进过），欧洲经常处于粮食短缺的危险状态。大量的失业与饥荒蔓延，很容易引起民怨沸腾，最终导致无法收拾的动乱。而西亚自古以来就是丰足的粮仓，养活着成百上千万人口，无疑是个理想的移民场所。
Therefore at the council of Clermont in France in the year 1095 the Pope arose, described the terrible horrors which the infidels had inflicted upon the Holy Land, gave a glowing description of this country which ever since the days of Moses had been overflowing with milk and honey, and exhorted the knights of France and the people of Europe in general to leave wife and child and deliver Palestine from the Turks.
于是公元1095年，在法国的克莱蒙特会议上，教皇乌尔班二世突然拍案而起，先是痛诉异教徒践踏圣地的种种恐怖行为，接着又娓娓描绘这块流着奶和蜜的圣地自摩西时代以来是如何滋养着万千基督徒的动人图景。最后，他激励法国的骑士们和欧洲的普通人民鼓起斗志，抛开妻子儿女，去将巴勒斯坦从土耳其人的奴役中解放出来。
A wave of religious hysteria swept across the continent. All reason stopped. Men would drop their hammer and saw, walk out of their shop and take the nearest road to the east to go and kill Turks. Children would leave their homes to "go to Palestine" and bring the terrible Turks to their knees by the mere appeal of their youthful zeal and Christian piety. Fully ninety percent of those enthusiasts never got within sight of the Holy Land. They had no money. They were forced to beg or steal to keep alive. They became a danger to the safety of the highroads and they were killed by the angry country people.
不久，一股不可遏止的宗教歇斯底里地席卷了整个欧洲。理性的思想停止了。人们纷纷扔掉铁锤和锯子，冲出商店，义无返顾地踏上最近的道路，前往东方去杀土耳其人。连小孩子也吵着要离家去巴勒斯坦，以他们幼稚的热情和基督徒的虔诚感化土耳其人，呼吁他们悔改。不过在这些的狂热信徒中，90％的人连看一眼圣地的机会都没有。他们通常身无分文，被迫沿途乞讨或偷盗以维持生计。他们影响大路交 通的安全，往往为愤怒的乡民所杀。