Is it fair to argue that the Medieval Papacy reached the apogee of its power and influence under Innocent III?

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Arny Plaut        -  -

Is it fair to argue that the Medieval Papacy reached the apogee of its power and influence under Innocent III?

        Under Innocent III, the state of the papacy and papal authority changed dramatically and emerged to form what some historians describe as a ‘papal monarchy’. One could argue that during Innocent’s reign of 1198-1216, the medieval papacy was at the peak of its power in terms of military strength, control over Rome, international political power and moral influence. Innocent III’s own writings reflect this point of view, as he makes clear that he views his position as one of unquestionable, divine endowed authority. However when considering this question of whether the papacy was indeed at its height under Innocent, the gap between theological theory and political reality must be considered, as well as Innocent’s reign in relation to his predecessors and successors which may lead historians to inflate their opinion of this period in papal history, due to the decline of the papacy that occurred under Innocent IV.

        Innocent III international involvement is greater than any of the popes before or after him, during his reign he interfered in almost every kingdom in Europe, however this does not provide evidence for him actually wielding any power as he was regularly ignored by monarchs such as by King John of England. In England, King John defied the pope by making Hubert Walter chancellor after Innocent had ordered him to release him from office after he began building a church in Lambeth. He also defied him and caused England to be put under interdict in 1205, when John refused to comply with the decree that tax from the clergy should be paid in a lump sum by each diocese. Therefore one could draw the conclusion from this that the papacy had to operate out of good will or else it was ignored, such as when he was forced to back off from the situation in Germany in 1208. However despite England and other examples such as France in 1200 having to be put under interdict for obedience, eventually Innocent III did get his way and his authority was respected, as in 1213 John wrote the ‘Charter of Submission’. In this charter he recognized the pope’s power when he wrote ‘we have pledged and sworn our fealty henceforth to our lord aforesaid, Pope Innocent III’. The reasons behind John finally succumbing to the pope are due to the widespread effects of the interdict and the influence of the pope himself on the Church in England and the life of the clergy, an issue which will be discussed later. Therefore the pope Innocent III does appear to hold substantial international power, despite initial defiance, he ultimately got his way despite the geographical limitations straining communication.

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One must consider that the medieval papacy throughout the middle ages lacked the bureaucracy, financial resources and political apparatus to effectively be an international authority body, Chaney points out that despite this, Innocent III unlike popes before him, was successful in having international influence despite the fact that a message from Rome to England could take up to a month and was regularly ignored as many letters were regarded as forgeries. Therefore Innocent III did wield a great deal of authority, Munro argues that the monarchs of Europe were his vassals, a view clearly shared by Innocent himself when he ...

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