The age of the crusades . verlord. During his pontificate thereopportunely arrived at Rome messengers from theGreek emperor at Constantinople, beseeching the aidof Western Christendom in expelling the Turks, whowere menacing the capital of the East. Hildebrand,consistently with his policy, prescribed as the condi-tion of such aid the recognition on the part of theGreek Church of the headship of the Roman in this demand he overshot the mark, while at thesame time the apathy of the Latin Christians towardstheir Greek brethren, and his own controversy withthe German emperor, left him
The age of the crusades . verlord. During his pontificate thereopportunely arrived at Rome messengers from theGreek emperor at Constantinople, beseeching the aidof Western Christendom in expelling the Turks, whowere menacing the capital of the East. Hildebrand,consistently with his policy, prescribed as the condi-tion of such aid the recognition on the part of theGreek Church of the headship of the Roman in this demand he overshot the mark, while at thesame time the apathy of the Latin Christians towardstheir Greek brethren, and his own controversy withthe German emperor, left him no opportunity tolaunch the movement. It was left to Urban II., hissecond successor in the pontificate, to undertake thegreat adventure. As Dean Milman remarks, Noevent could be more favorable or more opportune forthe advancement of the great papal object of ambition,the acknowledged supremacy over Latin Christendom,or for the elevation of Urban himself over the rival Pope[Guibert] and the temporal sovereign, his CHAPTER VII. THE MOHAMMEDAN MENACE—THE RISE OFISLAM—SARACENS—TURKS. HE rapid rise and wide-spread conquest ofMohammedanism make one of the moststartling phenomena of history. If itsstory excites our wonder in these days,while we are watching its decadence, wemay imagine the consternation wrought when itsswarming hosts, with the prestige of having conqueredall western Asia, were breaking through the barriersof Christendom. We shall greatly mistake this movement if we re-gard it as a mere irruption of brute force such ascharacterized the assaults of the barbarians upon theRoman empire. The teachings of Mohammed, grossas they appear in contrast with either primitive ormodern Christianity, contained elements which ap-pealed to far nobler sentiments than those entertainedby the pagans of northern Europe, or those currentin the age of the Prophet among the people of hisown race. Compared with these, Islamism was areformation, and enthused its adherents with t
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