Book review of Ane L. Bysted, The Crusade Indulgence: Spiritual Rewards and the Theology of the Crusades, c. 1095-1216 (Leiden: Brill, 2015)’

At the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 pope Innocent III granted a full remission of sins not only to those who would personally participate in the Fifth Crusade, but also to those who would send others to participate at their expense, and to those who would, in proportion to their means, make a contribution to the aid of the Holy Land. The crusade indulgence offered by Innocent III, at the height of what has been considered the institutionalisation of crusading, was undoubtedly the main incentive for participants and contributors to the Fifth Crusade. The meaning of this indulgence, however, had changed significantly since it was first used by pope Urban II for the First Crusade in 1095. [Opening paragraph]