AND the CRUSADES in the BALTIC REGION Pope Innocent III

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

AND the CRUSADES in the BALTIC REGION Pope Innocent III CHAPTER TWO INNOCENT III (1198–1216) AND THE CRUSADES IN THE BALTIC REGION Pope Innocent III took a keen interest in the crusades and made significant contributions to both the idea and practice of crusading. He issued his first general letter calling for a crusade in aid of the Holy Land in August 1198, only seven months after his election.1 This letter, Post miserabile, started the recruiting for the Fourth Crusade which was to culminate in the sack of Constantinople in April 1204 without fulfilling the hopes of restoring Jerusalem. In May 1208 Innocent made an attempt at recruiting crusaders in France for the Holy Land, and in December that year he issued the bull Utinam dominus trying to raise support in Lombardy and the March of Ancona for a crusade to the East.2 Neither of these brought any results. With the bull Quia major of April 1213 Innocent began the large-scale preparations for a crusade in aid of the East, intended to strike once the truce made between the kingdom of Jerusalem and the Muslims ended in 1217.3 He may have been emboldened by a resurgence of crusading enthusiasm and by the Christians’ success in Spain, at Las Navas de Tolosa against the Almohad caliph in 1212, which was taken as an indication of divine approval of the Christian cause.4 The extensive preparations for the new crusade were developed fur- ther at the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215. During his pontificate 1 Letter of 15 August [1198]: Die Register Innocenz’ III., ed. O. Hageneder et al. (Graz, Cologne and Vienna, 1964ff.), vol. 1, no. 336. 2 Letter of 10 December 1208: PL, vol. 215, cols. 1500–3; H. Roscher, Papst Innocenz III. und die Kreuzzüge [Forschungen zur Kirchen- und Dogmengeschichte 21] (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht, 1969), p. 133; H. Tillmann, Pope Innocent III [Europe in the Middle Ages. Selected Studies 12], trans. W. Sax (Amsterdam: North-Holland Publishing Company, 1980), pp. 340–1. 3 Letter of [19–29] April 1213: ‘Urkundenbeilage’, ed. G. Tangl, in G. Tangl, Studien zum Register Innocenz’ III. (Weimar, 1929), pp. 88–97; J. Riley-Smith, The Crusades. A Short History (London: Athlone Press, 1987), p. 141. 4 N. Housley, “The thirteenth-century crusades in the Mediterranean”, in The New Cambridge Medieval History. Volume V: c. 1198–c. 1300, ed. D. Abulafia (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999), pp. 572–3. 80 chapter two Innocent also proclaimed crusades against the heretics in France and against Markward of Anweiler. Innocent’s pontificate also saw the curia being drawn more closely into events in the Baltic region where the missionary activities expanded. The events in the Baltic region during the pontificate of Innocent III The election of a new bishop for Livonia proved to be a turning point for the hitherto unsuccessful mission. In 1199 Archbishop Hartwig II of Hamburg-Bremen appointed Albert of Buxhövden, a canon of Bremen and the archbishop’s nephew, as the third mis- sionary bishop.5 His determined persistence and energy finally got the mission off the ground, but his ambitions soon led to problems with his missionary collaborators. Shortly after his arrival in Livonia Albert founded the town of Riga and moved the episcopal seat there from Üxküll.6 The mis- sionary work in Livonia now took the form of conquest and con- version by force, and Albert began returning almost annually to Germany to recruit men for the fight against the pagans. He also secured himself a permanent military support by establishing German knights on fiefs in the immediate countryside, and in 1202 a new military order, the Fratres milicie Christi de Livonia or the Sword-Brothers, was founded.7 As more and more land in Livonia and southern Estonia was subjugated by the bishop and his helpers, the citizens of Riga and the Sword-Brothers, quarrels arose among the con- querors about the distribution of the conquered lands. In the absence of a secular overlord, the pope became embroiled in these territor- ial disputes in 1210 when the bishop and the master of the Order both visited the curia to argue their case. Innocent mediated a solu- tion in which the Order was to receive a third of the conquered 5 The most detailed study of Bishop Albert is G. Gnegel-Waitschies, Bischof Albert von Riga. Ein Bremer Domherr als Kirchenfürst im Osten (1199–1229) (Hamburg: August Friedrich Velmede Verlag, 1958), but see also F. F. Benninghoven, Der Orden der Schwertbrüder. Fratres Milicie Christi de Livonia (Cologne: Böhlau Verlag, 1965). 6 Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae, ed. L. Arbusow and A. Bauer, [Ausgewählte Quellen zur deutschen Geschichte des Mittelalters XXIV] (Darmstadt, 1959) VI:3, pp. 22–4. 7 Heinrici Chronicon Livoniae VI:4, p. 24; Benninghoven, Der Orden der Schwertbrüder, p. 39. .
Recommended publications
  • History of the Crusades. Episode 70 the Fourth Crusade I. As Part of The
    History of the Crusades. Episode 70 The Fourth Crusade I. As part of the HistoryPodcasters.com network, this episode is sponsored by Leatherman Data Services. Leatherman Data Services are providers of mapping and geographic data services for historians, archaeologists, and cultural resource management firms. So if you're looking for an experienced cartographer to create a map for your website, you can email them at [email protected], or go to their website LeathermanDataServices.com. Hello again. Last week we saw the demise of Henri of Champagne, and the crowning of a new King and Queen of Jerusalem, Amalric and Isabella. We also saw the German Crusade recapture the cities of Beirut and Sidon, before it collapsed after hearing about the death of the German Emperor. Now, to say that the Fourth Crusade was a controversial and notorious event is an understatement. It has been described by various historians and commentators as "infamous", "misguided", and "a fiasco". Stephen Runciman, in his trilogy on the history of the Crusades, trumped all these comments when he stated, and I quote, "there was never a greater crime against humanity than the Fourth Crusade" end of quote. This, from an historian writing in the 1950s in Europe, was a pretty big call. More recently, in the year 2001 in fact, Pope John Paul II issued a formal apology for the Fourth Crusade on behalf of the Catholic Church. So why was the Fourth Crusade so infamous? Well, you just have to keep listening to find out. The starting point for any examination of the Fourth Crusade is the election of Pope Innocent III in January 1198.
    [Show full text]
  • Christopher White Table of Contents
    Christopher White Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Peter the “rock”? ...................................................................................................................................... 4 Churches change over time ...................................................................................................................... 6 The Church and her earthly pilgrimage .................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 1 The Apostle Peter (d. 64?) : First Bishop and Pope of Rome? .................................................. 11 Peter in Rome ......................................................................................................................................... 12 Yes and No .............................................................................................................................................. 13 The death of Peter .................................................................................................................................. 15 Chapter 2 Pope Sylvester (314-335): Constantine’s Pope ......................................................................... 16 Constantine and his imprint .................................................................................................................... 17 “Remembering” Sylvester ......................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Reconstruction Or Reformation the Conciliar Papacy and Jan Hus of Bohemia
    Garcia 1 RECONSTRUCTION OR REFORMATION THE CONCILIAR PAPACY AND JAN HUS OF BOHEMIA Franky Garcia HY 490 Dr. Andy Dunar 15 March 2012 Garcia 2 The declining institution of the Church quashed the Hussite Heresy through a radical self-reconstruction led by the conciliar reformers. The Roman Church of the late Middle Ages was in a state of decline after years of dealing with heresy. While the Papacy had grown in power through the Middle Ages, after it fought the crusades it lost its authority over the temporal leaders in Europe. Once there was no papal banner for troops to march behind to faraway lands, European rulers began fighting among themselves. This led to the Great Schism of 1378, in which different rulers in Europe elected different popes. Before the schism ended in 1417, there were three popes holding support from various European monarchs. Thus, when a new reform movement led by Jan Hus of Bohemia arose at the beginning of the fifteenth century, the declining Church was at odds over how to deal with it. The Church had been able to deal ecumenically (or in a religiously unified way) with reforms in the past, but its weakened state after the crusades made ecumenism too great a risk. Instead, the Church took a repressive approach to the situation. Bohemia was a land stained with a history of heresy, and to let Hus's reform go unchecked might allow for a heretical movement on a scale that surpassed even the Cathars of southern France. Therefore the Church, under guidance of Pope John XXIII and Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund of Luxemburg, convened in the Council of Constance in 1414.
    [Show full text]
  • Papacy by Richard G
    Papacy by Richard G. Mann Encyclopedia Copyright © 2015, glbtq, Inc. Entry Copyright © 2005, glbtq, inc. Reprinted from http://www.glbtq.com The papacy is the monarchy by which the Roman Catholic Church is governed. The head of the Church is called papa--that is, father--in Latin because he is believed to be the spiritual parent of all the faithful. The Pope is entrusted with absolute authority over all aspects of the Catholic Church, including temporal as well as spiritual matters. Pope John Paul II (top) and his successor Like his immediate predecessor John Paul II, the current pope, Benedict XVI, fiercely Benedict XVI (above) denounces homosexual acts. Both John Paul and Benedict have claimed that their have vigorously declarations on homosexuality accord with papal pronouncements over the course of condemned homosexual many centuries. However, no popes prior to John Paul condemned same-sex love with acts. the vigor and consistency that he and Benedict have. Image of Pope Benedict XVI was created by Wikimedia Commons It was only in the twelfth century that popes began to encourage systematic contributor blues_brother enforcement of prohibitions against homosexual acts. Even after that time, the and appears under the papacy often revealed, in practice, a more tolerant attitude toward sexual "deviance" GNU Free than did secular authorities and the general membership of the Church. Among the Documentation License 1.2. popes, there are a few who can be described in modern terminology as being notably "gay friendly." In addition, at least four pontiffs seem to have enjoyed the physical, as well as spiritual, love of other men.
    [Show full text]
  • A BRIEF HISTORY of the PAPACY by John Judy (Written Mid-April
    A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PAPACY By John Judy (Written mid-April 2005 for “Big News.”) MICHAEL Any day now the College of Cardinals will be choosing a new Pope. White smoke will billow out into Saint Peter's Square signaling that the Holy Mother Church has discovered fire. I'm kidding. The Catholic Church has long since acknowledged the existence of fire and has used it on more than a few occasions. If you don't believe me, ask a heretic. If you can find one! (Did I mention John Paul II once issued a formal apology to Prometheus? True story...) In any case, we Big News Catholics don't want the rest of you sinners to spend the next week in complete ignorance of our glorious heritage and the intricate, infallible goings- on of our higher-ups. With that in mind we now present a brief history of the papacy, or, as we call it: "The Vatican Highlight Reel!" MATT There have been 265 Popes since Jesus chose Saint Peter to be the rock on which he founded his church in 32 A.D. SAINT PETER Numero Uno, baby! Pearly gates in the house! MATT According to Catholic tradition, Peter brought Christianity to Rome although it was there well before Peter arrived. SAINT PETER We were in previews out of town, man. MATT And once he was in Rome, Peter didn't serve as any kind of bishop or leader. SAINT PETER It was casual. Why you doggin' me, Boo? MATT Saint Sixtus, the seventh Pope, was the first Pope known to be the son of a Priest.
    [Show full text]
  • The Cathar Heresy by Dr
    The Cathar Heresy by Dr. Stephen Haliczer Northern Illinois University (edited from an interview by David Rabinovitch) The Church and the Material World The Cathar heresy was a major challenge to the Roman Catholic Church. It combined a tradition of itinerant preachers in the forests of France with a very ascetic quality. The Cathars rejected the Roman Catholic, the entire church structure. They said they were the only true Christians. They developed an alternative religion, an alternative hierarchy, an alter- native priesthood that attracted many adherents in that period, which is why the Cathar heresy above all occasioned the founding of the inquisition. Thirteenth century was at a high point of its power and influence. The popes of that period were very powerful and they interfered very broadly in the affairs of secular monarchies. They had tremendous power over religious orders and very significant authority over the appointment of bishops. It was a very powerful church but it was also a church that was troubled by corruption. It was struggling with the problem of clerical celibacy, whether or not to allow priests to be mar- ried, what sort of relationships should they have with women? So it was very troubled on the one hand but very powerful on the other. The Cathar movement rejected the material world. In so far as the Church had become enmeshed in the material world, it was no longer really a spiritual movement. It was now a movement that had brick and mortar churches and episcopal hierarchy and an elaborate bureaucracy and it collected tax money from all over Europe.
    [Show full text]
  • Papal Overlordship and Protectio of the King, C.1000-1300
    1 PAPAL OVERLORDSHIP AND PROTECTIO OF THE KING, c.1000-1300 Benedict Wiedemann UCL Submitted for the degree of PhD in History 2017 2 I, Benedict Wiedemann, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. 3 Papal Overlordship and Protectio of the King, c.1000-1300 Abstract This thesis focuses on papal overlordship of monarchs in the middle ages. It examines the nature of alliances between popes and kings which have traditionally been called ‘feudal’ or – more recently – ‘protective’. Previous scholarship has assumed that there was a distinction between kingdoms under papal protection and kingdoms under papal overlordship. I argue that protection and feudal overlordship were distinct categories only from the later twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. Before then, papal-royal alliances tended to be ad hoc and did not take on more general forms. At the beginning of the thirteenth century kingdoms started to be called ‘fiefs’ of the papacy. This new type of relationship came from England, when King John surrendered his kingdoms to the papacy in 1213. From then on this ‘feudal’ relationship was applied to the pope’s relationship with the king of Sicily. This new – more codified – feudal relationship seems to have been introduced to the papacy by the English royal court rather than by another source such as learned Italian jurists, as might have been expected. A common assumption about how papal overlordship worked is that it came about because of the active attempts of an over-mighty papacy to advance its power for its own sake.
    [Show full text]
  • Papal Bull Unam Sanctum Chronology 1198-1216 1209 1215
    Lecture 15 High Middle Ages WC 275-296 PP 318-320: Papal Bull Unam Sanctum Chronology 1198-1216 Reign of Pope Innocent III 1209 Franciscan monastic Order established 1215 Magna Carta signed 1215 Fourth Lateran Council called together by Innocent III 1219 Dominican monastic Order established Unam Sanctam issued by Pope Boniface VIII Star Terms Geog Terms Pope Boniface VIII Kingdom of France Fourth Lateran Council Papal States Kingdom of the Two Sicilies A. Fresco of Pope Innocent III, Monastero di San Benedetto, Subiaco. late 13th century. Innocent III was one of the most powerful and influential popes of the Middle Ages. He sponsored the Fourth Crusade and the Albigensian Crusade, he approved the work of Saints Dominic and Francis, he convoked the Fourth Lateran Council, and he built the papacy into a more powerful, prestigious institution than it had ever been before. Innocent viewed the role of the pope as not merely a spiritual leader but a secular one as well, and while he held the papal office he made that vision a reality. Almost immediately upon his election as pope, Innocent sought to reassert papal rights in Rome, bringing about peace among the rival aristocratic factions and gaining the respect of the Roman people within a few years. Innocent also took a direct interest in the German succession. He believed that the pope had the right to approve or reject any election that was questionable on the grounds that the German ruler could claim the title of "Holy" Roman Emperor, a position that affected the spiritual realm. At the same time, Innocent explicitly disclaimed secular power in most of the remainder of Europe; but he still took direct interest in matters in France and England, and his influence in Germany and Italy alone was enough to bring the papacy into the forefront of medieval politics.
    [Show full text]
  • Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) (Summary)
    ,,LUCIAN BLAGA” UNIVERSITY OF SIBIU FACULTY OF ORTHODOX THEOLOGY ,,ANDREI ȘAGUNA” Doctoral Thesis: Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) (Summary) Scientific Coordinator: Pr. Prof. Univ. Dr. NICOLAE CHIFĂR Candidate: ȚOP PAUL DAN Sibiu 2016 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………6 Chapter I THE WESTERN CHURCH AND ITS RELATIONS WITH THE ROMAN EMPIRE BEFORE POPE INNOCENT III …………………………………………...9 I.1. Preliminaries .…………………………………………………………………9 I.2. Papacy and Empire in The Middle Ages ………………………………..…..13 I.3. Spirituality and society between the 10th and 13th Century ……..…………..21 I.4. Church and Papacy ………………………………………..………………...24 I.5. Byzantium and Occident ………………………………….………………...27 I.6. The Crusades ………………………………………………….…………….30 I.7. Clerics and laics ………………..……………………………………………32 I.8. The Dioceses ……………………………………………………………..….34 I.9. Heresy ………………………..……………………………………………...36 I.10. The conflict between the two powers ……………………………………...37 I.11. The Universities ……………........................................................................39 Chapter II LOTARIO DEI CONTI DI SEGNI ..............................................................................41 II.1. Dei Conti family ……………………………………………………….…...42 II.2. Education in Lateran, Rome ………………………………………………..44 II. 3. Studies in Paris …………………………………………………………….46 II. 4. Higher Education in Bologna …………………………………………....49 II.5. Admittance in Clergy and Curia service, deacon and jurist ………………..51 II.6. Ambitions, visions and writings ……………………………………………54 Chapter III POPE INNOCENT III ( 8
    [Show full text]
  • The Family Tree of Christianity Session 5: the Protestant Reformation (1300 – 1700)
    The Family Tree of Christianity Session 5: The Protestant Reformation (1300 – 1700) Review of Session 4 Iconoclast Controversy in East (717-842) Popes supported rise of Carolingian dynasty: Franks 800: Charlemagne crowned as “Emperor” by Pope Photian Schism (867-879) Constantinople IV (869): the 8th Ecumenical Council Charlemagne’s empire crumbled after his death in 814 Europe invaded by Vikings, Magyars, Muslims: “Dark Ages” 9th century: spread of Slavic peoples into Eastern Europe 863: Cyril & Methodius (Byzantines) begin to evangelize Slavs 1054: the Great Eastern Schism Roman Catholicism in the West and Orthodoxy in the East Gregorian Reform of papacy & Church Pope Gregory VII (1073-85) clashes with HRE Henry IV Battle over lay investiture: appointment of bishops The Crusades: several between 1100 and 1300 1094: Byzantine Emperor appeals to Pope Urban II for help Complete remission of sins for death in battle: “indulgence” Siege of Jerusalem (1099): defenders & civilians were massacred 1204: the debacle of the 4th Crusade Exacerbated East-West tensions beyond healing Revival in the West: High Middle Ages (1100-1300) Growth of cities: result of increased commerce Great Gothic cathedrals become urban centers Rise of mendicant (“begging”) orders Preaching and living the gospel in the world of the city Franciscans and Dominicans First universities: Paris, Oxford, Bologna Scholastic integration of Greek learning & Christian theology 3rd Lateran Council (1179): 2/3’s majority for papal elections Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) The greatest
    [Show full text]
  • Wunderlich on Moore, 'Pope Innocent III: to Root up and to Plant'
    H-German Wunderlich on Moore, 'Pope Innocent III: To Root Up and to Plant' Review published on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 John C. Moore. Pope Innocent III: To Root Up and to Plant. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 2008. xx + 316 pp. $35.00 (paper), ISBN 978-0-268-03514-3. Reviewed by Sabine Wunderlich (Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht Berlin)Published on H- German (November, 2009) Commissioned by Susan R. Boettcher Accompanying a Pope through the Period of his Reign This monograph, by John C. Moore, is a new paperback edition of a work first published by Brill in 2003. In it, he describes Lotario dei Conti of Segni and the pontificate of this man, who became Pope Innocent III, in ten chronological chapters in chronological order. In the preface, the author explains his desire to depict Innocent as he experienced his life from day to day, and to show how experiences in one area of his life might influence decisions in another aspect of his duties. Moore does not want to revisit scholarly debates but instead addresses this work to the general reader. An engagingly written work, its many simplifications make it of at best mixed value to its audiences. Moore starts with Lotario's biography and stresses his studies in Paris, showing the growing importance of law as a means of reducing social and military violence. It was also an important career track. He mentions Lotario's studies in Bologna, although he neglects to mention that some historians doubt he actually studied there. He also describes the three treatises Lotario composed as a cardinal.
    [Show full text]
  • The Influence of Pope Innocent Iii on Spiritual and Clerical Renewal in the Catholic Church During Thirteenth Century South Western Europe
    University of South Africa ETD Laing, R.S.A. (2012) THE INFLUENCE OF POPE INNOCENT III ON SPIRITUAL AND CLERICAL RENEWAL IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH DURING THIRTEENTH CENTURY SOUTH WESTERN EUROPE BY R.S.A. LAING University of South Africa ETD Laing, R.S.A. (2012) THE INFLUENCE OF POPE INNOCENT III ON SPIRITUAL AND CLERICAL RENEWAL IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH DURING THIRTEENTH CENTURY SOUTH WESTERN EUROPE by RALPH STEVEN AMBROSE LAING submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF THEOLOGY in the subject of CHURCH HISTORY at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: PROF. M. MADISE OCTOBER 2011 (Student No.: 3156 709 6) University of South Africa ETD Laing, R.S.A. (2012) Declaration on Plagiarism I declare that: The Influence of Pope Innocent III on Spiritual and Clerical Renewal in the Catholic Church during Thirteenth Century South Western Europe is my own work and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. ………………………………. ………………………………. R.S.A. Laing Date (i) University of South Africa ETD Laing, R.S.A. (2012) Acknowledgements I would like to thank those who helped me make this work possible. In particular I wish to thank Almighty God, my parents Ambrose and Theresa Laing, my siblings, especially Janine Laing, Tristan Bailey, Fr. Phillip Vietri, Prof. M Madise, Prof. P.H. Gundani, Roland Bhana, Bernard Hutton, Ajay Sam, Rajen Navsaria, Helena Glanville, Anastacia Tommy, Paulsha January and Jackalyn Abrahams. This work is dedicated to my parents Ambrose and Theresa Laing for their love and support throughout my life.
    [Show full text]