How did the Crusades contribute to a changing political condition in late Middle Ages in Western Europe?

A. Brought merchants together to challeges the authority of the monarchs

B. helped spread the bubonic plague in an attempt to lower the population in Europe

C. encouraged people to unite under a religious authority against foreign enemies

D. promoted cultural exchanged with non-European groups in an attempt to learn about and understand foreign cultures

C. encouraged people to unite under a religious authority against foreign enemies