URBAN II

born c. 1035, , Chtillon-sur-Marne, or Lagery, or Lagny, Champagne, France died July 29, 1099, Rome original name Odo Of Chtillon-sur-marne, or Odo Of Lagery, or Of Lagny, French Odon, or Eudes, De Chtillon-sur-marne, or De Lagery, or De Lagny head of the Roman Catholic church (108899) who developed ecclesiastical reforms begun by Pope Gregory VII, launched the Crusade movement, and strengthened the papacy as a political entity. Additional reading A full account of Urban II's life and pontificate is given by A. Becker, Papst Urban II, vol. 1 (1964; vol. 2 in prep.). The chapters by F. Kempf in H. Jedin and J. Dolan (eds.), Handbuch der Kirchengeschichte, vol. 3 (1966; Handbook of Church History, vol. 3, 1969), present a good survey of Urban's history and offer a rich bibliography. The First Crusade and its connection with the history of Byzantium is related by S. Runciman in A History of the Crusades, vol. 1 (1951). Among the earlier biographies, the work of H.K. Mann, The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages, 2nd ed., vol. 7 (1925), still has value. Among the more important later works are A. Fliche in Histoire de l'glise, vol. 8 (1944); and J. Haller, Das Papsttum, vol. 2 (1951).