The Crusades and the Wider World
European Economies Expand
Before the Crusades, Europeans had developed a taste for luxuries from the Byzantine. The Crusaders brought more spices, fabrics and perfume. Trade had gotten bigger. Merchants built large fleets. They now use the fleets to carry on trade. The Crusaders further encouraged the growth of a money economy.
Effects on Monarchs and the Church
The Crusades helped to increase the power of the Monarchs. Enthusiasm for the Crusades brought papal power to its greatest height. Crusades did not end the split between the Roman and Byzantine churches. Instead, Byzantine resentment against the West hardened which resulted in the fourth Crusade, in which Crusaders had conquered and looted Contantinople.