01-10-2022, 12:43 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-10-2022, 03:33 PM by FaceInTheCrowd.)
Fear of excommunication my have been more of a perception on the part of people who were on the receiving end of papal asks than overt threats. Or, the Church may have more commonly gotten what it wanted by offering extra blessings or other favors. And it wouldn't surprise me at all if some nobles sent a very small number of knights and troops and said it was all they had availalbe.
The Pope excommunicated the crusaders who attacked the first Christian city, Zara, after it happened. The excommunication also ordered that those crusaders continue on to Jerusalem, so presumably the carrot that went with the stick was, complete the original mission and be welcomed back into the fold. There wouldn't have been any point in excommunicating them again for sacking Constantinople. And, of course, the crusaders who refused to attack Zara wouldn't have been excommunicated at all. I wonder whether those folks went on to Jerusalem or if they just quit the crusade and went home.
I agree that most wesen of the period probably just wanted to get along. But in the 13th century, royals, clergy and merchant classes were exclusive clubs and for the majority of the population getting along meant being a peasant farmer, tradesman or soldier subject to the rule of some member of the nobility.
The Pope excommunicated the crusaders who attacked the first Christian city, Zara, after it happened. The excommunication also ordered that those crusaders continue on to Jerusalem, so presumably the carrot that went with the stick was, complete the original mission and be welcomed back into the fold. There wouldn't have been any point in excommunicating them again for sacking Constantinople. And, of course, the crusaders who refused to attack Zara wouldn't have been excommunicated at all. I wonder whether those folks went on to Jerusalem or if they just quit the crusade and went home.
I agree that most wesen of the period probably just wanted to get along. But in the 13th century, royals, clergy and merchant classes were exclusive clubs and for the majority of the population getting along meant being a peasant farmer, tradesman or soldier subject to the rule of some member of the nobility.