... were unavoidably different to what they had been in previous centuries and as a result the Crusading movement had to adapt to fit the changing attitudes. At first, the crusaders appeared to be guided by spiritual motives, believing that if people fought God's enemies on earth and completed a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, their actions would receive a spiritual reward of remarkable magnitude. Unfortunately, the movement became less spiritually motivated, more materially and politically inclined, with the focus of Western Europe being drawn to other internal troubles and less fixed upon the Holy War. The morality of the Crusades had come into question over the course of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The concept of using warfare and violence to forcefully convert and suppress the infidel was one that aroused much criticism over Europe. It was popular belief that "Christ does not wish the Muslims to be slain, but ...

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