The only English Pope was Adrian IV.
In 1155, he crowned Frederick of Germany Holy Roman Emperor. In 1158,
Frederick captured Milan and forced the Romans to expel the pope. In the
prevailing strife, Adrian died in 1159. It was Adrian who offered Ireland to
English King Henry II. The popes claimed the ‘islands of the sea’ as their
territory.
We move on Pope Clement III (1187-91): he launched the Third Crusade to take
back Jerusalem from the Muslims. Emperor Frederick won two victories but was
drowned in 1190. England's Richard the Lion-heart and France's Philip next
started for Palestine but their Crusade failed. New German Emperor Henry VI
seized Richard on his way home but was saved by the next Pope, Celestine
III, after a hefty ransom was paid.
Innocent III became Pope in 1198 and, dressed in garments shining with gold,
he declared: "We are successors of Peter but not his Vicar... We are Vicars
of Christ before whom every knee shall bow." The Fourth Crusade was launched
in 1201. Constantinople was attacked; tombs of old emperors were desecrated,
relics stolen and women including nuns raped. The Crusader Chronicles openly
refer to cannibalism practised by the Frankish knights but later Euro
historians tried hard to suppress.
John Lackland became King of England in 1199; he discarded his wife and
married another. He next started taxing the clergy and replaced the
Archbishop of Canterbury. The Pope responded by placing the whole country
under an interdict in 1208 and also excommunicated King John. John promptly
confiscated church property. 8000 Churches were closed, making thousands of
priests jobless. When King Philip of France decided to invade England, John
relented and promised to refund church funds.
In 1215, the barons forced King John to sign the Magna Carta, making the
King subject to the Law. John, now a good Catholic, complained to Pope
Innocent who annulled the Charter. Anyone who subscribed to the Charter was
excommunicated.
The next Pope, Gregory IX, established the Inquisition in 1232 whereby
heretics were handed over to the civil authorities for punishment. In 1239,
one Bishop Moranis was accused of allowing heretics in his diocese. He and
180 others were burnt at the stake. A later Pope, Innocent IV, allowed the
Inquisition to use torture. He further decreed that any disobedience, even
in thought, was punishable.
The Dominican Inquisitors were answerable only to the Pope. By papal
command, they were forbidden to show any mercy to their victims. If a person
confessed in part to what he was accused, he was considered guilty of the
whole. Entire families were tortured when a member informed on them.
Sentences were also passed on the dead and their property confiscated.
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Eddie
