The Crusades were a series of expeditions and religious wars that were encouraged by the Latin Church in the Medieval period. Their objective was to "recover" the Holy Land from Muslim rule. The Crusades allow us to clearly see the influence of the Pope and of the Catholic Church. As the war required thousands of soldiers, the participation and encouragement of many kings, and a massive amount of economic resources, it is clear that the Church enjoyed enormous political and economic power during this time period.