Crusade bull

Many types of papal letters without the bulla attached were issued to arrange, guide and direct crusading efforts.

[1] Urban II made similar concessions to Counts Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona and Ermengol IV of Urgell in 1089 at the time of the reconquest of Tarragona.

[6] The Fourth Crusade grew out of two bulls issued by Innocent III in 1198 and 1199, which innovated new means of raising funds.

[1] In 1197, Celestine III issued Cum auctores et factores, the first crusade bull bestowed on Portugal, granting indulgences to those who fought the excommunicated Alfonso IX of León for having allied himself with the Almohads.

[8] Clement IV in 1265 issued a general Bull for the whole of Spain, when the Kings of Aragon and Castile joined in the expedition against Murcia.

The alms given by the faithful in response to this bull, which were at first used exclusively for carrying on the war against the 'infidel' Moors, were afterwards used for the construction and repair of churches and other pious works; sometimes they were also used to defray expenses of the State.

The Cortes (estates assembly) of Valladolid of 1523 and that of Madrid of 1592 petitioned that this money should not be used for any other purpose than that for which it had originally been intended by the donors, but, notwithstanding the provisions made by Philip III of Spain in compliance with this request, the abuse already mentioned continued.

[2] The bull Non parum animus noster (Latin for "Our mind is deeply [troubled]") issued by Pope Alexander III in 1171 or 1172 was instrumental in promoting the Northern Crusades against the then pagan Estonians and Finns.