Final answer:
Crusaders returning from the Middle East brought luxury goods such as silk and sugar to Europe, and after the Fourth Crusade, important Byzantine artifacts and religious relics were disseminated throughout Western Europe. They also conveyed cultural and architectural influences, such as the Krak des Chevaliers in Syria, significantly affecting European society and economy.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Crusades, spanning from 1096 to 1291, were significant not only for their immediate military and religious impacts but also for the exchange of goods, ideas, and culture that occurred as a result. When Catholic Crusaders returned from the Middle East, they brought back many luxury goods and cultural artifacts, some of which had previously been unknown in Europe. They introduced items such as silk and sugar to the European market, which had a considerable impact on the taste and economy of the continent.
Moreover, after the Sack of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade in 1204, many Byzantine artifacts were brought back to Western Europe, such as the sculptures of horses that now adorn the façade of San Marco in Venice, and the religious relics like the Crown of Thorns and fragments of the True Cross. These not only had great religious significance but also influenced the visual and material culture in Europe.
The Crusades also had an influence on European politics and social structures, as the idea of crusading spread to other conflicts and regions such as the Baltic and Iberia. Furthermore, returning Crusaders brought back knowledge and experiences that would shape European society, not just through goods, but through architecture like the storied Krak des Chevaliers in Syria, and through shifting the perspectives of European Christians about other lands and peoples.