In the context of north central Europe, there was no ground-breaking distinction between holy wars and crusades before the 1220s. - Darius von Guttner-Sporzynski

In theory, there were no legal limits to the monarch’s power over his realm. In practice, however, the king was bound by the laws and customs of the land, and exercising his authority depended on the agreement of France’s elite: the nobility and the clergy.

Within a decade of the First Crusade, the anonymous author of the Gesta justified the holy war against the Pomeranians.

The Piast realm serves as an example of how the character of the crusade changed in response to shifting military, social, economic, and political circumstances. The taking of the cross by the Piasts and their knighthood was a way of responding equally to both domestic and European strategic developments.