How Did The Crusades Influence Medieval Europe

The Crusades in Medieval Europe, from approximately 1069 – 1270 had a significant impact on the teachings and influence of the Catholic Church. It was a series of military expeditions caused by religious and personal motives that caused the church to become a vital and powerful part of the European lifestyle.

The Crusades were a series of Holy wars during the time of Medieval Europe against Middle Eastern Muslims. These military expeditions were undertaken by those of every class and had the ultimate goal of recapturing the Holy Land, Jerusalem. During this time the Church began to feel threatened by the growing power and land capturing of the Islamic Muslims. In order to remain prominent, the Church began promoting the Crusades as a Holy act that people would be rewarded for if they took part. This encouraged members of every social class to join the Crusades as there was always something that they could gain. For the poor, they

The Church began preaching the good of participating of Crusades and how if you returned successful, all of your sins would be forgiven. However, in the past the Catholic faith consisted of teachings of peace and harmony, not war and violence. During the time of the Crusades, the church had a large increase of power and influence over its followers. As the Church was such a vital part of everyday life, it became able to control the minds and decisions of those who followed it. But it also grew in wealth as it became able to participate in political abilities, such as tax collecting. It also opened retreats for the ‘broken soldiers’ who returned but these soon became very expensive for the soldiers and their families. By threatening and murdering the Muslims and the Muslims retaliating the attacks of the Catholics, the Crusades also stained the Catholic-Muslim relationship for many years to