From the preaching of the First Crusade in 1095 to the legacy of crusading ideals today, there is nothing perhaps more representative of that turbulent period than this knightly surcoat. 

Fighting for a proper purpose had come to be widely regarded as a means of salvation and an act of charity, and thus an acceptable function for laymen wishing to read a religious life. These aspirations would be confirmed to all with this outward sign of faith.