ABSTRACT
The theme of martyrdom to which Bernard gave classic expression has been recognized to have been prominent in early crusade preaching, while this preaching drew upon a tradition of holy warfare which had progressively gained strength since Carolingian times. In the development of this tradition, especial interest attaches to the letters of Pope Gregory VII, on account of the moral intensity of his expression and of the dissemination that some of his letters received. This chapter considers the place of martyrdom in his thought, especially in so far as it may have prepared the way for the crusade preaching of Pope Urban II and of St Bernard. Although the words "martyr" and "martyrdom" do occur in the letters concerned, Gregory had written similarly in September 1073 to the clergy and people of Carthage, in Muslim North Africa, and to their archbishop, Cyriacus.
