How did Emperor Alexius I Comnenus influence the launch of the First Crusade?

Emperor Alexius I Comnenus played a pivotal role in the launch of the First Crusade by soliciting military assistance from the West to address the existential threats facing the Byzantine Empire.12

By the late 11th century, the empire was severely weakened by the loss of Anatolia to the Seljuq Turks following the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, as well as by ongoing pressures from the Pechenegs and Normans. Facing a resurgent Islam perilously close to Constantinople, Alexius sought to recruit Western mercenary troops to help recover lost territories and protect his capital.123

In 1095, envoys from Alexius arrived at the Council of Piacenza to present this request to Pope Urban II. While Alexius intended to secure professional military aid rather than a religious crusade, his appeal arrived at a moment when relations between the Eastern and Western churches were improving. Pope Urban II utilized this request as an opportunity to promote a holy war, aiming to aid fellow Christians in the East while potentially restoring ecclesiastical unity.142