Pope Urban II preached the first crusade on November 27, 1095, the tenth day of the Council of Clermont. The Pope's motivation to see such a military expedition take shape came from the fact that Christian pilgrims heading to Jerusalem were often victims of abuses and even assassinations.
The Pope therefore asked the Christian people of the West to take up arms in order to come to the aid of the Christians of the East. This crusade then had as a rallying cry "God wills it!" and all those taking part in the crusade were marked with the sign of the cross, thus becoming crusaders.
This action ended on July 15, 1099 with the capture of Jerusalem by the Christian troops of Godefroy de Bouillon.
Hugues de Payns, future founder and first master of the Order of the Temple, came to the Holy Land for the first time in 1104 to accompany Count Hugues de Champagne, then on pilgrimage. They returned in 1107.