How Did The Crusades Influence The Church

The Crusade is a series of events that occurred to the end of the 11th Century to the late 12th Century that consisted of thousands of devout christian followers. There were seven Crusades in total that had been established by Pope Urban II in 1095 as a response to the advance of Muslim forces in the “Holy Land” known as the Mediterranean or middle east in today's society. These Crusades were an attempt to cleanse or stop the advancement of Muslims in the Mediterranean, many christians fled to Pope Urban II plea to go to war in the Holy land as they would be granted a plenary indulgence that would cleanse them of all their sins if they had participated in the campaign.

There are many distinct factors that have influenced the church due to the Crusades. The most prominent factor that has affected the church would be the influx in power and overall wealth as a result of the campaign. The wealth was granted through the gifts from other lands in return for prayers; the crusaders would also return home with goods from their pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The Crusades had a large economical influence on how wealthy the Church had started to become due to the gifts that were given as a result of this Christian movement.
Power and authority of the Church was gained through the long line of Popes, this is due to the fact that they had insisted that many believers accustom themselves to look up upon the Pope’s as a guide and leader in their everyday lives. This influx due to the Crusades will later affect how much power and influence that the Church has over centuries to come as we can see it’s effects