The causes for the First Crusade start in Byzantium. They had been losing territory to the Seljuq Turks in battle. The emperor Alexios I Komnenos was left with no other option but to appeal to the Pope in the West. The West and Byzantium had a complicated relationship due to the fact that they split over religious ideology. Pope Urban II saw great opportunity in this plea for help. Urban saw chance to gain land and win Jerusalem for the West. He called the Council of Clermont where he gave a speech appealing to everyone to find the Muslim enemy in the East. The pope made up the fact that Muslims had been attacking people in the Holy Lands, when in fact they offered safe passage to Christians. Urban also offered a deal many could not refuse in this age, he had promised that if anyone fought and died in this battle they would automatically go to heaven.