Pope Urban II initiated the first of four Crusades in 1095 AD. Their purpose was to rescue the Holy City of Jerusalem from the hands of the Muslims. The Crusades ultimately failed its goal. However, the impact of the expeditions on western Europe proved the Crusades anything but a failure. These wars brought economic stability through trade and increased both the king’s and the pope’s power.
Knights from all the Christian nations of western Europe rallied to join Pope Urban II’s Crusade signifying the strength of papal control. The church taught its congregation that before entering heaven, one must first spend time in purgatory. In this place, one must pay full atonement for his sins. The pope promised his soldiers indulgences, which would lessen the stay in purgatory. The possibility of going straight to heaven after death or spending only two or three years in purgatory led many aristocrats to volunteer for the Crusade. The formation of a sizable force in such a short period was an incredible feat that many kings could not accomplish. …show more content…
The main occupation of the upper class was to fight for their lord as knights. In these days, only the oldest son would receive an inheritance of property while his younger brothers were left landless. The Crusades offered the landless nobles a chance of amassing pecuniary stability and a spread of their own. During the Crusades, many men married local women of the towns they were stationed at. They then settled down and changed their occupation from knighthood to international merchants and businessmen. Towns grew out of the booming trade and wealth flowed into the pockets of both the high and the middle