Holy relics such as the Holy Lance can also be gained. A general who takes the crusade target will gain very beneficial traits for example: the "Grand Crusader" trait gives a significant boosts to the general's chivalry. Generals who merely join a campaign will usually gain a few chivalric traits and will sometimes gain powerful additions to their retinue. Mounted and dismounted Crusader Knights being examples of the powerful crusader mercenaries. These units tend to be quite powerful and always make a good addition to crusading armies. A crusading general is also able to recruit special mercenaries for a very cheap price. Economically there is also no upkeep to pay for the force, so a long crusade could allow a nations financial situation to improve due to having to pay no upkeep for a entire armed force or multiple if more than one general is sent. If the settlement is owned by a nation who the pope has excommunicated or dislikes, crusades can be called against them.Īrmies that are crusading have a number of significant benefits and advantages if utilized correctly due to the religious fervour of the troops they are capable of moving at twice their normal movement speed, decreasing the time taken to reach a target significantly.If the settlement is in the Holy Land (Could also be caused by the large Christian population).This also makes the chance of a request against the settlement much more likely. A high amount of Heresy (50%) within the settlement.
However, there were many 'minor' crusades launched during the medieval period. Historically there were at least nine crusades to the holy land, the first three being the most renowned. The Crusades are a Christian holy war launched in the Medieval era and are akin to the Jihads of Islam, with the exception that they are sanctioned by the Pope himself.