The First Crusade is generally considered to have started with Pope Urban II’s call to arms at the Council of Clermont on 27 November 1095.

Some historians also distinguish between:

  • The proclamation and launch of the crusade on 27 November 1095, when Urban II urged Western Christians to take up arms.
  • The official departure date sometimes given as 15 August 1096 , when the main crusading armies were meant to set out, marking the start of large-scale movements east.

So, most scholarly timelines say the First Crusade “started” in late 1095 , with the first major crusading forces actually leaving in 1096.

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