MUNRO— THE POPES AND THE CRUSADES. 351 



without the consent of their suzerains ; this was a direct encroach- 

 ment on property rights, but amid the intense enthusiasm for a 

 movement in which both the German emperor and the French king 

 participated this usurpation passed without much comment. It is 

 significant, however, that this privilege was not renewed in later 

 grants. The Popes also gave permission for non-payment of in- 

 terest on debts owed by crusaders and directed that the monarchs 

 should take steps to enforce this. Philip Augustus actually followed 

 the mandate, by an ordinance arranging the extent to w^iich this non- 

 payment of interest should be allowed. This encroachment upon 

 property rights provoked less opposition because the creditors were 

 frequently Jews. As each crusader was under the protection of the 

 Church the Popes interfered in case of capture of individual 

 crusaders by their enemies and also to prevent warfare which would 

 hinder men from fulfilling their vows. They used the censures of 

 the Church freely for this purpose and, on the whole, with general 

 approval. They even interfered w^ith the amusements of the 

 nobility, repeatedly forbidding tournaments and threatening to ex- 

 communicate all participants. Other instances might be cited to 

 show the manner in which the Popes added to their temporal power 

 and control over those who were not members of the clergy, so 

 that after a century of crusading activity the Pope's power had been 

 enormously enhanced. Of course, the increase in their temporal 

 authority was not wholly due to the crusades ; other agencies were 

 at work ; but the religious wars preached by the Popes had a very 

 important share in the growth of temporal power which had reached 

 so great an extension by the time of Innocent III. 



In the thirteenth century the influence of the crusading move- 

 ment in adding to the Pope's power can be illustrated in many ways. 

 Frederic II., in a burst of enthusiasm caused by his unexpected 

 attainment of the imperial crown, took the Cross. From that time 

 until he started on his expedition, twelve years later, he was con- 

 tinually hampered by his vow and had to make many concessions to 

 the Pope, in order to obtain permission to delay its fulfillment. 

 When an energetic pontifif, Gregory IX., was elected, Frederic was 

 obliged to start on his expedition, although he had not completed his 



