Jagada
08-12-2005, 01:37
Christianity. The belief that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God. This belief, by the year of 1087, had swept from Western Europe, across the the unified Holy Roman Empire, threw the unorganized Eastern States, and even into the dark and nearly rebel regions beyond the eyes of men (Russia). This was an age of darkness, the ideal of Nation-States was but a faint dream that the youth thought up. The power in this area rested upon the few, the ego-centric--the Aristocracy. These nobles...these dukes, these lords, these dutchies, these princes, and even these kings all were men few would mess with. Despite all the land they controlled, all the men who pledged alligance to them, and even all the wealth they held in their coffers there was one man who controlled them all. A man that with just a few words, could send a nation or even an empire into utter civil war. This one man was based at the heart of the now dead Roman Empire. The Eternal City--Rome. The Pope didn't just control these lands, he controlled other parts of Italy--and at the same time he had some of the greatest wealth in the world. Few could match his influence, and those few who could dared attempt it. If a man lost in a battle of power against a Pope, the consquences could be long-lasting.
The death of Pope Gregory VII hadn't shaken the Papacy, or the Papal States. Popes had died in the past, and the process to elect a new one generally went quickly. In due time a new Pope, a man named Urban II rose to claim the title of Pope. A title few men in the world would ever hold, but a title every man in the world respected--weather he willing respected it or not. This Pope had new ideas, new ways of thinking, and he realized something quickly. The Christians in Europe were killing eachother by the thousands all this bloodlust, all this savage human nature was shown in the mericless battles of the Christian kings. Something needed to be done, something drastic. Urban didn't want to spread this bloodlust outside of Europe, while it couldn't do nearly as much damage there the fact still remained that the Christians had amoung them hypocrites in very high places. Even Urban hadn't turned a blind eye to the fact that the Papacy was corrupt, prehaps not he himself, but others. Bishops in far lands, and priests in even farther lands. The Catholic faith was slowly turning from a way of life, a belief, to an occupation and career. Urban didn't want this, and due to this he knew reform was needed. Though the more pressing matter was to avoid confrontation with the Christian Kings of Europe. He knew in a battle of influence he would definantely win. The power of Excommunication was strong, not to mention the other religious tools the Papacy would wield to show the Kings of Europe their place in this world.
Though something had to be done, the Christians needed to have their anger, their bloodlust turned on something else. Something...un-Christian. Something barbaric to the European people, something that they could exhaust their savage nature upon and at the same time not whip half of Europe off the map. A single word rang in his mind: Crusade. Crusade meant "Holy War", and that was a perfect idea. A Crusade to keeps the eyes of Europe elsewhere, while he turned the Papacy from a group of loyal papacy states--to the Papal Empire.
The question was where to direct their attention. There was always the Muslims in the East. They were surely not 'Christian', they followed the beliefs of Islam. The Christians would have a field day taking them on. All the while, expanding the Papacy's influence and spreading the Catholic faith to dominate all of the known world. Then again, reports had been trickling in about a revival of Heretic Beliefs in Norway. These reports were vague and only mentioned dissent and something about a Monestary going up in flames. It was unclear if this was the job of these Heretics or if it was another political against the Bishop in the area. Norway and all the Viking Lands had already converted to Christianity, though keeping Christianity in Norway wasn't set in stone quite yet. The Viking beliefs weren't quite stomped out yet. They could revive. He could easily declare a Holy War, or pressure the Norwegian King to march his army against these scum, but at the same time Urban found some usefulness for these Heretics.
If he let them take over Norway, he could present them as a real threat to Christianity, and then declare a Holy War. The European Christians, seeing their beliefs be spit upon threw accounts of those that survive the ordeal, along with some heroic propaganda by himself, the Pope, the people would willing march across the sea--on foot if they were told. And crush this heresy. For now he would leave Norway be and allow things to play out. If these Viking scum pulled off their revolt and returned Norway to the ways of old, then these Vikings had done their duty of the Papacy and could die with some kind of honor. If they crushed first by renegade Catholic factions, one being the disorganized Russians and the Germans in the Holy Roman Empire, or by the Norwegian Christians--then they weren't all that useful and in the end another filthy heretic belief was cast down by the Catholic followers.
Regardless, the plans were set and Urban would watch the world unfold. Prehaps he would pull a string here, spark a war there, or excommunicate a leader over there--if only to keep the balance and ensure his plans went threw without incident. The age of the Peaceful Popes were over, by his death the age of the Imperial Popes would be well underway.
The death of Pope Gregory VII hadn't shaken the Papacy, or the Papal States. Popes had died in the past, and the process to elect a new one generally went quickly. In due time a new Pope, a man named Urban II rose to claim the title of Pope. A title few men in the world would ever hold, but a title every man in the world respected--weather he willing respected it or not. This Pope had new ideas, new ways of thinking, and he realized something quickly. The Christians in Europe were killing eachother by the thousands all this bloodlust, all this savage human nature was shown in the mericless battles of the Christian kings. Something needed to be done, something drastic. Urban didn't want to spread this bloodlust outside of Europe, while it couldn't do nearly as much damage there the fact still remained that the Christians had amoung them hypocrites in very high places. Even Urban hadn't turned a blind eye to the fact that the Papacy was corrupt, prehaps not he himself, but others. Bishops in far lands, and priests in even farther lands. The Catholic faith was slowly turning from a way of life, a belief, to an occupation and career. Urban didn't want this, and due to this he knew reform was needed. Though the more pressing matter was to avoid confrontation with the Christian Kings of Europe. He knew in a battle of influence he would definantely win. The power of Excommunication was strong, not to mention the other religious tools the Papacy would wield to show the Kings of Europe their place in this world.
Though something had to be done, the Christians needed to have their anger, their bloodlust turned on something else. Something...un-Christian. Something barbaric to the European people, something that they could exhaust their savage nature upon and at the same time not whip half of Europe off the map. A single word rang in his mind: Crusade. Crusade meant "Holy War", and that was a perfect idea. A Crusade to keeps the eyes of Europe elsewhere, while he turned the Papacy from a group of loyal papacy states--to the Papal Empire.
The question was where to direct their attention. There was always the Muslims in the East. They were surely not 'Christian', they followed the beliefs of Islam. The Christians would have a field day taking them on. All the while, expanding the Papacy's influence and spreading the Catholic faith to dominate all of the known world. Then again, reports had been trickling in about a revival of Heretic Beliefs in Norway. These reports were vague and only mentioned dissent and something about a Monestary going up in flames. It was unclear if this was the job of these Heretics or if it was another political against the Bishop in the area. Norway and all the Viking Lands had already converted to Christianity, though keeping Christianity in Norway wasn't set in stone quite yet. The Viking beliefs weren't quite stomped out yet. They could revive. He could easily declare a Holy War, or pressure the Norwegian King to march his army against these scum, but at the same time Urban found some usefulness for these Heretics.
If he let them take over Norway, he could present them as a real threat to Christianity, and then declare a Holy War. The European Christians, seeing their beliefs be spit upon threw accounts of those that survive the ordeal, along with some heroic propaganda by himself, the Pope, the people would willing march across the sea--on foot if they were told. And crush this heresy. For now he would leave Norway be and allow things to play out. If these Viking scum pulled off their revolt and returned Norway to the ways of old, then these Vikings had done their duty of the Papacy and could die with some kind of honor. If they crushed first by renegade Catholic factions, one being the disorganized Russians and the Germans in the Holy Roman Empire, or by the Norwegian Christians--then they weren't all that useful and in the end another filthy heretic belief was cast down by the Catholic followers.
Regardless, the plans were set and Urban would watch the world unfold. Prehaps he would pull a string here, spark a war there, or excommunicate a leader over there--if only to keep the balance and ensure his plans went threw without incident. The age of the Peaceful Popes were over, by his death the age of the Imperial Popes would be well underway.