Crusades and Indulgence

The crusades were presented as an indulgence, in the sense that if you took up the cross and went on crusade, you were excused from any other acts of penance. Indulgence also grew to the point of becoming a major problem in the western church. The need to examine the consciences and the motives of crusaders after had taken part in crusade was a great spur towards the development of the philosophy of the individual. And by 17 hundred or so, crusading is simply no longer part of how people a generally see their mission when they go out to fight or to conquer in the world.