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The city of Jerusalem on fire, flaming arrows flying all around, Saracens and French knights clashing and people getting ruthlessly slaughtered left and right. These are images that are seen in the minds of those who study the history of the First Crusade. Epic conflicts between opposing forces did rage and although these images happened in all actuality, just like any military campaign, most of the time was spent strategizing and waiting to fight. Despite the fact that there were many perils, suffering and of course boredom, many factors made the Crusades appealing to hopeful adventurers. The sense of religious duty, the appeal of travel away from Dark Age Europe, and of course the adventure were aspects that drove so many to be a part of an important era in history.

After the breakdown of the Carolingian Empire, Europe was in a period of violence, stemming from warring tribes like the Vikings and the Magyars. Eventually, Christianity reigned supreme and now these warrior tribes were slightly united in a common religion, but a soldier is meant to fight and consequently these tribes fought amongst themselves because there was no one else to fight. Despite the internal struggles, during the eleventh century, the borders of Europe were relatively stable. (Durant, p. 472)
While the Carolingians were in degradation, another empire was spreading its influence and alternate religion across areas not too far from the borders of modern Europe, the Umayyads, and after their downfall, the Seljuk Turks. Before the crusades, Christianity had a few run-ins with the Turks, such as the Battle of Manzikert, but a Christian-wide call to arms didn't happen until Pope Gregory VII called for "Soldiers of Christ" to aid the Byzantines against repeated attacks by the Turks. This wasn't a popular movement, but it did warrant a spotlight on the Eastern parts of Europe and brought to the attention of European Christians that there was trouble brewing in that part of the world. (Asbridge, p. 29)
During this time, pilgrimages to the Holy Land was a very popular past time in Christianity and there were many reports coming back professing the abuses of Muslims onto Christians. These reports put a fire underneath Pope Urban II and were what initially started his interest in the Holy Land. He then started thinking about other advantages of conquering the Holy Land. He knew that if the Turks were to be defeated, not only would it free the Byzantine Empire, and more importantly the Eastern

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