HIST 107 Introduction to Medieval History Lecture 20 Lateran IV the Friars and Changes in Religious Life Main Questions 1 What significance attaches to the pontificate of Pope Innocent III 1198 1216 2 What were the most important changes in religious life in the years around 1200 Preliminary Remarks The background to this topic pulls together a large number of threads from previous lectures For example recall the appeal of the so called vita apostolica apostolic life that is a powerful source of inspiration for the early monasticism in the late Roman empire and for medieval monastic groups such as the Cistercians and the Carthusians The apostolic life encourages two emphases based on the model of the Acts of the Apostles living a religious life communally and in simplicity even poverty and preaching The latter element is foregrounded by some groups that emerge from the expansion of religious orders in the twelfth century notably the canons regular The canons regular will be an important inspiration for one of the most important new religious orders that we will consider in this lecture the Dominicans From the lecture on the Gregorian reform movement we have seen how starting in the eleventh century the papacy is seeking to establish itself as the head of the Church in fact as well as in theory The popes have expanded their authority both over the institutional Church the clergy monks and nuns and over society as a whole though there have also been conflicts with secular rulers over the boundaries of their respective jurisdictions Part too of the Gregorian reform agenda has been to tidy up the Church by increasing its sense of detachment from the outside world e g clergy are not to marry they should be better educated The Church is thinking about giving lay people spiritually worthwhile things to do the crusade is one such device it invents but generally the reformers have succeeded more at making the clergy a distinct group in society than at satisfying the religious aspirations of many lay people This gap will drive a great deal of the changes in religious thought and practice that one can see in many parts of Europe starting around 1150 and growing in the years either side of 1200 1 Key Questions To approach this potentially large topic we need a precise point of entry This is conveniently supplied by the pontificate of perhaps the most important pope in the Middle Ages Innocent III 1198 1216 So the first question is A Who was Innocent III and what makes his pontificate so important followed by more general questions about the period in which he lived B What significant changes in religious life were taking place before and during Innocent III s reign as pope C What were the origins of what in the long run proved to be the two most important products of this period of religious change the Franciscan and Dominican friars friar brother A Who was Innocent III and what makes his pontificate so important Huge subject could be the basis of a course in his own right But essential point about Innocent coming together of multiple factors that have been driving the papacy and society in general over previous 150 years Innocent very much a product of his time Like most popes a product of the Italian nobility born Lothario dei Segni therefore can operate in all popes primary arena i e local Italian politics But also product of new environment studied at Paris possibly though this is debated a student of the main academic expert on canon i e church law Master Huguccio at Bologna Some exposure to monastic ideals like most earlier popes but more a product of the new learning as a cardinal he writes rather austere book on nature of sin When elected pope in 1198 he is a whizz kid only about 37 years old most popes very old and their pontificates therefore short cf his predecessor Celestine III in his 90s Innocent therefore throws new energy at the papal office he is consequently perhaps the busiest pope ever This energy emerges from a consideration of the sheer range of problems and opportunities that fill his 18 year pontificate 2 e g 1 vigorous consolidation of the patrimonium sancti Petri patrimony of St Peter belt of land across central Italy under pope s direct lordship a sort of buffer zone to limit dangers of outside interference especially from German emperors to the north and kings of southern Italy and Sicily to the south John it the more 2 deal with political crises around Europe e g rebellion in England versus King John see earlier lecture Innocent directly involved because granted England to Innocent as a papal fief in a bid to get his help worked 3 deal with nasty civil war in Germany when succession to kingship is disputed Innocent supports one claimant Otto of Brunswick though Otto will turn against Innocent in due course then supports son of previous king Frederick II though Frederick embodies the papacy s nightmare scenario i e he is heir to both Germany and northern Italy and southern Italy and the danger is that the popes will be the meat in sandwich later popes not Innocent have to confront this 4 enthusiasm for crusading Innocent launches more crusades than any other pope starts with what becomes Fourth Crusade though this ends badly diverted away from Palestine and captures Byzantine Constantinople Fifth Crusade in planning stages when he dies support for crusade in Spain inaugurates crusades against heretics in s France see below NB for Innocent crusading not just something that happens on the side on the contrary crusade instrument for wider reform memories of loss of Jerusalem and True Cross in 1187 still fresh Generally the most interventionist pope since at least Gregory the Great 590604 But this is often misunderstood Innocent not setting himself up as sole world ruler the legitimacy of secular rulership is recognized in fact supported if threatened by e g Magna Carta rebels Popes can intervene in secular politics ratione peccati by reason of sin i e all human activity including political life involves sin therefore the pope has ultimate responsibility 3 but this is a pretty weak instrument to rule all Europe with Nonetheless Innocent is very ambitious best demonstration of this ambition is the Fourth Lateran Council 1215 Lateran one of papal churches and palaces in Rome the use of Vatican as shorthand for the papacy comes much later Lateran IV biggest Church council since Nicaea in 325 and this time there is no Constantine type figure calling the shots estimated