How had the power of the Church influence the Crusades in Medieval times?

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Question:

I need to know about the Crusades for history!.
Include violence, the political significance and the power of the church!?

thank you :DWww@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

For the "violence" part, look up the "Peace of God" and the "Truce of God" - - two decrees by the papacy in the 1000's hoping to quell violence in Western Europe!. Restless knights (no pun intended) were attacking churches and Church officials!.
The two decrees ordered or asked that knights please stop attacking nuns and priests and also stop attacking on holy days - such as Sundays!.
It was expedient to preach a Holy crusade with forgiveness of sins for those who went!. This meant that these aggressive men at arms could do their fighting and pillaging somewhere else!.

The politics involved were between the Emperor and head of the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church in Constantinople (see the term "Caesaro-papism") and the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Rome - the pope!. Alexius I Comnenus of Constantinople (Byzantine or Eastern Roman empire) has asked Pope Urban II for help after the Muslim Seljuk Turks had fought their way perilously close to his capital!. Alexius wanted perhaps 10,000 professional soldiers - - not the flood of crusaders who descended on his city in waves after 1095 AD!. Urban saw a way to kill two birds with one stone!. He could get the fractious fighting men out of Western Europe, and he could put Alexius in a position where Alexius would "owe him!." A third benefit might be some new lands and riches for the "True Church" in the Pope's way of thinking!.
The medieval Roman Catholic Church was a huge political force capable of toppling kings due to the peoples' fear of being cursed with excommunication and eternal hellfire!. Only in the 1500's did Europeans wise up to these powerless threats

For "power of the Church" - the point is that Pope Urban could make a call for a crusade and people by the tens of thousands responded all over western Europe!. I believe this surprised even the pope himself!. People were so superstitious then, many believed their sins would all be forgiven if they did what the pope said!. Many truly feared the fires of hell that had been preached to them!. At that time, only the priests could read the bible!. It was in Latin which few could read in 1095 AD!. It was a sin punishable by death to write the bible in a language people could read, and that rule lasted until the time of Martin Luther after 1517 AD!. The Catholic Church held a lucrative monopoly on Christianity!. Only the priests could interpret God's word and transmit God's wishes to the people!. This was a situation ripe for abuse of power by the Church!. The real Jesus would not have been likely to tell the people of Europe to go and kill the Arabic and Turkish people of the Middle east in His name!. Only in the 1500's when the popes and other Church officials had become so openly hypocritical and corrupt did the people of Europe realize they had been exploited!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Well during the mid to late 1000's the Roman catholic Church noticed a new enemy called Islam!. They felt that the Holy land of where Isreal is today near Juresalem should be protected by the Catholics!. So by this many troops started to march towards the Holy Land!. By this happening it helped many countries get rid of trouble makers who lived in there kingdoms by sending them to Palestine to defend Juresalum!. So durint he Crusades as they were called, the Catholics and the Muslims fought four crusades in which the Catholics win first then the Muslims, then the Muslims and then the Catholics!. From this the knights and trouble some people from many countries brought back tons of gold, glory,money, jewels, etc!.!.!. which were used to help the economy in the many different provinces in the world!. The only two famous people for the Crusades is King Richard the Lion Heart and the leader of the Muslim troops, I forget his name but he was a fantastic general from what I've read of him!. So thats the Crusades in a nut shell, I'll give you a link for the crusades as well!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Well, the obvious answer would be that the Church called for the crusades in the first place (Pope Urban II to be precise)!.

Ostensibly it was to take back the Holy Lands for Christendom, but politics played a role as well!. There was hope both of allowing European warriors to 'let off some steam' someplace other than Europe as well as a potential reconciliation with the Eastern Church (though it was more likely to make them indebted to the Latin Church)!.Www@QuestionHome@Com