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Expansion of the Papal States under Innocent III
Around 1208, Pope Innocent III exploited the imperial vacancy, the crusading movement, and conflicts among the Italian city-states to systematically …
Timeline
- 1208Rome · RomeAfter the assassination of Philip of Swabia in 1208, the struggle over the imperial throne of the Holy Roman Empire intensified. Innocent III intervened as an arbiter, seizing the opportunity to expand papal political influence on the Italian peninsula.
- 1208–1210Marche and Umbria · Papal StatesThrough diplomacy, military alliances, and annexation, the pope exerted control over the Marche, Umbria, and the city-states around Rome. The temporal territory of the Papal States expanded significantly, and its administrative system became increasingly institutionalized.
- 1208–1210Papal States · Papal StatesInnocent III prepared the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) while also promoting military actions such as the Albigensian Crusade, extending papal authority from Italy to issues across the whole of the Christian world.
Sources
- Innocent III: Vicar of Christ or Lord of the World? — James M. Powell (1994)
- The Papal Monarchy: The Western Church from 1050 to 1250 — Colin Morris (1989)