Socially speaking the Crusades had an impact upon the Christian stance on military service. Before there was a strong prejudice against the military, at least among churchmen, on the assumption that Jesus' message precluded warfare. The original ideal forbade shedding blood in combat and was expressed by St. Martin in the fourth century who said “I am a soldier of Christ. I must not fight.†For a man to remain holy, killing in warfare was strictly prohibited.
Matters changed somewhat via the influence of Augustine who developed the doctrine of “just war†and argued that it was possible to be a Christian and kill others in combat. The Crusades changed everything and created a new image of Christian service: the warrior monk. Based upon the model of the Crusading orders like the Hospitalers and the Knights Templar, both laity and clerics could regard military service and killing infidels as a valid, if not preferable, way of serving God and the Church. This new view was expressed by St. Bernard of Clairvaux who said that killing in the name of Christ is “malecide†rather than homicide that that “to kill a pagan is to win glory, for it gives glory to Christ.â€
The growth of military religious orders like the Teutonic Knights and the Knights Templar had political implications as well. Never seen before the Crusades, they didn't entirely survive the end of the Crusades, either. Their vast wealth and property, which naturally inspired pride and contempt for others, made them tempting targets for political leaders who had become impoverished during the wars with their neighbors and the infidels. The Templars were suppressed and destroyed. Other orders became charitable organizations and lost their former military mission completely.
There were changes in the nature of religious observance as well. Because of the extended contact with so many holy sites the importance of relics grew. Knights, priests, and kings continually brought back bits and pieces of saints and crosses with them and increased their stature by placing those bits and pieces in important churches. Local church leaders certainly didn't mind and they encouraged locals in the veneration of these relics.
The power of the papacy also increased a bit in part due to the Crusades, especially the First. It was rare that any European leader set off on a Crusade on their own; typically, Crusades were only launched because a pope insisted upon it. When they were successful, the prestige of the papacy was enhanced; when they failed, the sins of the Crusaders were blamed.
At all times, though, it was through the offices of the pope that indulgences and spiritual rewards were distributed to those who volunteered to take up the Cross and march to Jerusalem. The pope also often collected taxes to pay for the Crusades - taxes taken directly from the people and without any input or assistance form local political leaders. Eventually, the popes came to appreciate this privilege and collected taxes for other purposes as well, something that kings and nobles didn't like a bit because every coin that went to Rome was a coin they were denied for their own coffers. The very last cruzado or crusade tax in the Roman Catholic diocese of Pueblo, Colorado was not officially abolished until 1945.
At the same time, though, the power and prestige of the church itself was somewhat diminished. As pointed out above, the Crusades were a colossal failure and it was unavoidable that this would reflect poorly on Christianity generally. The Crusades started out being driven by religious fervor but in the end they were driven more by the desire of individual monarchs to enhance their power over their rivals. Cynicism and doubt about the church increased while nationalism was given a boost over the idea of a Universal Church.
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