Why did the leaders of Europe want everyone in their empire or kingdom to convert to Christianity?

Question

Why not any other religion?
What made Christianity special?

Answer 1

Because it made them easier to control if they were offered pie in the sky after they died rather than wanting to lead a comfortable life on earth. It left more of the wealth for the ruling classes and their religious accomplices.

Answer 2

This question is so broad that it is nearly impossible to answer. The easiest answer is that the eastern emperor Constantine claimed to have a vision. He saw the cross, and heard the words “under this sign conquer”. The eastern Roman Empire lasted for a thousand years after that.

So Christianity became the state religion. The heirs of the eastern Roman Empire, Europe, were thus pretty much already Christian. There were pagans of various sorts around, but they were conquered and killed and severely discouraged, as were the scattered Jews. The Moslems were a menace, attacking and conquering everything in their way, right up to the remains of the eastern Roman Empire and Spain.

So, overall, what happened is that paganism gave way to Christianity. Competing religions such as Judaism and Islam were either looked on with suspicion or downright resisted.

Of course, the above explanation is so broad that it does an injustice to actual history.

Answer 3

Once Constantine made Christianity the official state religion of Rome, it got very powerful, and very rich. Rome was able to bully its allies into becoming Christian, and the more allies converted, the more powerful the church became, until it got to the point that if you didn't convert, you were at the mercy of all the Christian nations.

Answer 4

There was a battle going on then, and it is still going on, for control of people's minds. The Church at that time was very powerful (still is). It controls people's reproductive behavior, for example, and the Vatican is one of the richest institutions in the world. So, it was about power and money then, and it's about power and money now. Some things never change.

Answer 5

Oh God!
just a form of control. go forth and multiply,make more peasants to plow your fields, and don't worry if your life is crap cos your reward is in heaven! see how it works? and christianity had the right reward/punishment system,and a consumer base given by the roman empire

Answer 6

so they could control all the lands & have all the empires money. the crusades wasnt about converting anyone to christianity, it was about power & money