Pope Innocent IV

Christianity. This shared religion raised the head of the Church, the bishop of Rome, also called the pope, to a position of great power. Throughout the Middle Age, these popes used their power to wield heavy influence over the running of Europe, whether for better or for worse. Four of the most influential Medieval popes of the Roman Catholic Church were Gregory I, Urban II, Innocent III, and Boniface VIII. Pope Gregory I, or Gregory the Great, wrote several theological studies which strongly…

France. Thus due to his aid to the Church, Pope John XII crowned Otto I as an emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (406 Bentley, Ziegler). This alliance helped to gain control over the German territories, it benefited Otto, since he «strengthened his power and decreased the power of the duchies» (Dill, Heer, Zophy). Instead of relying on dukes, Otto I was appointing bishops and abbots, as his royal vassals to help to rule…

1096 The First Crusade begins as European Christendom seeks to capture Jerusalem and wrest control of the Holy Land from the infidels. The first weapons ban is declared; Pope Urban outlaws use of the crossbow against Christians. The pope believes the crossbow to be hateful to God. The devastating weapon is considered too dangerous as its power can render military armor useless. May 1096 Flush with religious fervor, enthusiastic and impassioned Crusaders massacre more than 800 Jews in the German…

of the church. Duffy ably narrates the Western dispute with the Byzantine Empire’s pronounced tendency to elevate the emperor to the status of Kosmocrator, lord of the world and church; the era of Gregory the Great (590-604), “arguably the greatest Pope ever,” which included the mission to England that resulted in the demise of Ireland as an independent center of Christian authority; the melding of Greek and Latin-Roman elements in Rome, creating a “vibrant and solemn religious culture which…

wide are of land, and many feudal lords felt closer ties to the Pope than to their King. Several items led to a decline in feudalism by the end of the Middle Ages. The Black Death or plague killed hundreds of thousands in Europe. This decreased the number of serfs available to work the land and support the lords. The Crusades also distracted the lords from managing their lands. The feudal system was further weakened as the Pope called on lords to recruit people for the holy wars in the…

Empire, Normandy among them, to the French monarchy led by Philip II, and his reign in England was marked by increasing baronial discontent, bloodthirsty taxation, and conflict with the Church. It had one of the most severe confrontations with Pope Innocent III, who had excommunicated John in 1209 when there was a dispute over John's appointment of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Church gave it no domestic support, little authority remained in the kingdom, and threats mounted from France and…

a literal look at Francis's Testament and life, while the the other one was nurtured by rivals—the Franciscan friars who converting from a focus on apostolic poverty to apostolic ministry. Many friars had turned from poverty to preaching instead. Pope Gregory XI was heavily involved in the lives of monastery women as he made attempts to better their impoverished life, and Mueller sees this in Thomas of Celano’s First Life of Saint Francis which was commissioned by Gregory. It doesn’t exactly…

The seventh crusade was slightly successful but yet it wasn’t. It was led by Thibault IV and he briefly recaptured Jerusalem though he lost it again in 1244 to a new force called the Khwarazmian forces “Crusades”. The eighth crusade was led by King Louis in 1249 and ended a year later after defeat “Crusades”. After many new groups started…

Alexius I was a war general before he came to power. Alexius I came to power after the Empire had already fallen so Alexius I needed to rebuild the Empire. He instantly sent word to Pope Urban II asking for help. Pope Urban II got the message from Alexius I asking for help repelling the Turkish threat “Crusades”. Pope Urban II took the message and in november 1095, at the council of cleremont, proposed that Christians in the west aid the Byzantines in the east “Crusades”. Many of the men that…

by the papacy; however, later in the eleventh century, the church became the most influential institution in Western Europe. The period of the papacy’s ultimate power, the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, reached its peak with the pontificate of Innocent III, who exercised his influence over kings and princes without challenge. The church then seemed irrefutable in its prestige, dignity, and power. Clegg & Reed said “Yet that strength quickly came under new attack, as over the next two…