By Emilio Estrada
The crusades were military campaigns sanctioned by the Pope. In 1095, the Pope Urban II proclaimed the First Crusade with the goal of restoring Christian access to holy places in and near Jerusalem.
Many historians give equal weight to other papal sanctioned military campaigns as the Albigerian Crusade or the Reconquista.
The Barbastro Crusade in year 1063, was one of the first international expeditions to fight against Islam. It was sanctioned by Pope Alexander II, who died 1073, to conquer the city of Barbastro. A large army composed by most European nations was gathered. The battle was part of the Reconquista effort, but its international composition anticipated the big crusades that followed during the next two centuries.
Alexander II preached for the first time that the Reconquista was a Christian Emergency. Pope’s words were heard and followed in France, Italy and Spain. The army was built up with French, papal forces from Italy and Normandy, Barcelona's, Urgel's and Aragon's nobles. The forces met by the city of Graus and marched together directly to Barbastro.
The city was taken by the Christian forces and put under the supervision of Ermengol III de Urgel. It did not take too much time for the Muslim army to take back the city in year 1065.