«8 
I N N O 
where he was acknowledged lawful pope, as well as in all 
the other cities of Tufcany. In the year 1138 Anacletus 
died ; when the cardinals and clergy of his party chofe 
Gregory, cardinal prieft, his fucceffor, who took the name 
of Victor. After the latter, however, had' borne the 
empty title of pope about two months, he was perfuaded 
bv St. Bernard to lay alide the enfigns of the pontifical 
dignity, and to throw himfelf at the feet of Innocent. 
The fchifm in the church being terminated by this event, 
and Innocent having now no enemy to contend with at 
R nne, took up his refidence in that city, and fummoned 
a general council to meet in the Lateran, in the year 1139. 
Pie died in 1143, .after a pontificate of rather more than 
thirteen years and a half. Notwithftanding the excellence 
of his private life, and the fnavity of his manners, from the 
revolts which took place during his pontificate, it may 
be fufpefted that his adminifixation of government was 
not conducted with prudence and wil’dom ; and that his 
zeal for exalting the papal pretenfions was not behind 
that of any of his predeceffors, is fufficiently apparent 
from his extraordinary language at the opening of the 
council of Lateran, when, addrefling himfelf to the af- 
fembly, he laid, “You all know' that Rome is the capital 
of the world, and that all ecclefiaftical dignities are held 
and received by permiffion of the Roman pontiff, as by a 
jief 5 and without his leave cannot be lawfully poffeffed.” 
.Forty-three of his Letters are inferted in the tenth volume 
of the Colleft. Concil. and two in the fecond volume of 
Baluze’s Mifcell. 
IN'NOCENT III. (pope), originally called Lotha- 
Rius, was a defcendant from the illuftrious houfe of the 
counts of Segni, and born at Anagni about the year 1161. 
After puffuing his ftudies for lome time at Rome, he 
went to the univerfity of Paris, where he was admitted to 
the degree of doctor. From Paris he w'ent to Bologna; 
and in that univerfity, as well as in thofe where he had 
formerly ftudied, diftinguifhed himfelf above his compeers 
by the brightnefs of his talents, and his proficiency in 
the different branches of academicallearning, particularly 
in philofophy and divinity. Upon his return home, he 
was promoted to a canonry in the cathedral church of 
Anagni; and afterwards to the fame dignity in the church 
of St. Peter’s at Rome. He was ordained fub-deacon by 
Gregory VIII. and preferred to the dignity of cardinal- 
deacon by Clement III. under the title of cardinal of St. 
Sergius and St. BacchiuS. On the death of pope Celeftine 
III. in the year 1198, Lotharius was elefted his fucceffor 
by a great majority of cardinals, when he was in the 
thirty-feventh year of his age. Being at that time only 
in deacon’s orders, he was firlt of all ordained prieft, and 
then confecrated high-pontiff, when he took the name of 
Innocent III. From the moment of his exaltation he re- 
folved to follow the example of Gregory VII- and with 
equal arrogance, intrepidity, and addrefs, purfued his 
plans of ambition, till he arrived at a height of defpotifm, 
which all Europe beheld with aftonifhment, but alfo, to 
its eternal reproach, with the ignominious filence of a 
palfive obedience. Not long after the commencement of 
his pontificate, Innocent excommunicated Alphonfus X. 
king of Galicia and Leon, for refuting to difmifs Tarfia, 
the daughter of Sanftius king of Fortugal, whom he had 
married within the forbidden degrees ; and he alfo ex¬ 
communicated Philip Auguftus, king of France, for hav¬ 
ing diffolved his marriage with Ingeiburga, a princefs of 
Denmark, and efpoufed another in her place; nor did he 
ceale to purfue the laft-mentioned monarch with his ana¬ 
themas, until he engaged him to receive the divorced queen, 
and to reftore her to her loft dignity. About the year 
1199, the imperial dignity in Germany was dilputed be¬ 
tween Philip duke of Suabia and Otho of Saxony; when 
Innocent affirmed to himfelf the power of deciding the 
conteft, and, declaring Otho lawfully elefted, fent two 
cardinals to notify this declaration to the German princes, 
and to command them, in his name, to abandon Philip, 
find acknowledge Otho. But the fuccefs which attended 
CENT. 
the arms of Philip againft his rival Otho, who was com¬ 
pelled to flee the country, and the almoft univerfal ac¬ 
knowledgement of Philip’s claim by the princes of the 
empire, made Innocent think it advileable to abandon his 
rival, and adhere to Philip; and, accordingly, he fent 
two legates, who abfolved him from the fentence of ex- 
communication which had been prqnounced againft him, 
and owned him, in the pope’s name, lawful king of the 
Romans, on his engaging upon oath to abide by the judg¬ 
ment of the apoftolic fee with refpeft to all points in dis¬ 
pute between him and the pope. To prevent any new 
disturbances in the empire, the legates afterwards, in con- 
junftion with the German princes, brought about an 
agreement between the competitors, the terms of which 
implied, that Philip fbould give his daughter in marriage 
to Otho, and that the latter lliould fucceed his father-in- 
law if he happened to furvive him. 
About this time commenced the differences between 
Innocent and John king of England, which terminated 
in that contemptible monarch’s facrificing the honour of 
his crown, by bafely refigning it to the papal legate, and 
receiving it again as a prefent from the fee of Rome, after 
taking an oath of fealty, and paying tribute as a vaffal 
and feudatory. See the article England, vcl. vi. p. 579. 
In the year 1208, in confequence of Philip, king of Ger¬ 
many, having been treacheroufly murdered, Innocent 
wrote to all the princes of the empire, reminding them of 
the agreement which had been made between Philip and 
Otho, and forbidding the bifliops, upon pain of excom¬ 
munication, to eleft: or crown any other perfon than the 
latter. Otho was accordingly elefted without oppolition, 
and was invited to Rome, for the purpofe of receiving the 
imperial crown, after he had taken a prefcribed oath of 
filial lubmiflion and obedience to the apoftolic fee. On 
liis arrival in Italy, in the year 1209, Otho was received 
by the pope with every mark of friendftiip and elteem, 
and crowned by him at St. Peter’s with the uftial cere¬ 
monies. The harmony between them, however, was but 
of fliort duration, owing to the fpirited meafures which 
Otho took to recover territories in Italy, which had been 
ufurped from the empire by the church, or by the Nor¬ 
mans, and his not permitting himfelf to be diverted from 
his defign by the pope’s admonitions or menaces. High¬ 
ly exafperated at Otho’s ingratitude, as he called it, the 
lordly pontiff determined that he fhould feel his ven¬ 
geance, and that without delay. In the year 1210, there¬ 
fore, he pronounced a fentence of excommunication 
againft him ; declared him an enemy to the church ; and 
not only abfolved all his fubjefts from their oath of alle¬ 
giance, but proclaimed all thofe excommunicated who 
fhould own him for emperor, or obey him as fuch. When 
this fentence was publifhed in Germany, it gave occafion 
to a confederacy of princes, who, in conformity to the 
papal fentence, withdrew their obedience from Otho, and 
chofe Frederic, king of Sicily, emperor; whofe eleftion 
was Very readily confirmed by Innocent. 
In the year 1215, the fourth general Lateran council 
was held at Rome, which was To managed by the all- 
controuling power of the pontiff, that, inftead of exer- 
ciling the funftions of a deliberative body, it was made 
ufe of only as an inftrument to regiiler the canons and 
decrees which Innocent had drawn up, and \yhich he per¬ 
mitted to be read for their approbation. In this council, 
beiides many fanguinary laws palled againft herefies, and 
a decree promifing a full remillion of all fins, to all who 
lliould either take the crofs for the relief of the Chriftians 
in Paleftine, or lupply with money, arms, or provifions, 
thofe who took it; the doftrine of tranfubftantiation was 
firft heard of, and declared an article of faith ; auricular 
confelfion, lubmiflion to the prieft’s penance, and com¬ 
munion, at leaft once a year, were enjoined ; and the 
pope’s depofing power, as well as his abfolute fupremacy 
in temporals as well as fpirituals, was recognifed. In the 
year 1216, Innocent undertook a journey to Pifa, with 
the defign of bringing about a reconciliation between the 
Pifans 
