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Pope Innocent III (1160/61–1216): To Root Up and to Plant
This book is a biography of Pope Innocent III. Avoiding the many scholarly controversies concerning the pope, it offers a concise and balanced portrait of the man and his pontificate. Its chronological organization-unusual in biographies of Innocent-enables the reader to see how the pope was usually dealing with many different subjects at the same time, and that the events in one aspect of his life could influence his views of other topics. This structure, together with the thorough documentation, can provide new insights even for scholars well-versed in his pontificate. Written in clear, jargon-free English, the book also gives the students and general reader a good sense of this pope and of the medieval papacy.
- GenresHistoryMedieval History
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 5, 2011
This is a very well-done introductory biography to the papacy of Innocent III, one of the most active and prominent of medieval popes. Moore is a good writer and he's very familiar with Innocent's letters and the papal registry in general.
One of the most interesting things about this book is its structure. Rather than take the usual route and organize the book thematically - a chapter on the fourth crusade, on Lateran IV, on relations with John and Philip Augustus, and on the Hohenstaufen/Welf rivalry, as examples - Moore organizes his work chronologically. This allots the book quite a bit of its dynamism, and the reader gets a great sense (especially in Innocent's first few years) of how insanely busy he was, dealing with crises and triumphs and reversals all over Europe, all happening at the same time. Similarly, it nicely illuminates the almost cyclical nature of Innocent's papacy, where a few years of repeated success would rather abruptly give way to repeated difficulties. It also, unfortunately, has the side effect of making the book feel occasionally superficial, as lots of issues get briefly touched upon and then summarily dropped as Moore has to move along with his narrative. There are also several rather long asides (such as a lengthy description of Gerald of Wales desperate appeal to obtain the bishopric of St. David's) that - while very interesting - are either not central enough to warrant such a prominent spot in a short-ish biography or not shown to be representative enough to work as a case study.
That said though, I think it works well as a biography, especially as an introductory one. Moore does a nice job of providing extensive quotations from Innocent's letters and sermons and he takes the time to consider Innocent's concern for scriptural exegesis and pastoral care instead of the typical focus solely on law and politics. It's a sympathetic portrayal of the pope, but Moore never allows it to slide across the line to hagiography. Definitely recommended.
One of the most interesting things about this book is its structure. Rather than take the usual route and organize the book thematically - a chapter on the fourth crusade, on Lateran IV, on relations with John and Philip Augustus, and on the Hohenstaufen/Welf rivalry, as examples - Moore organizes his work chronologically. This allots the book quite a bit of its dynamism, and the reader gets a great sense (especially in Innocent's first few years) of how insanely busy he was, dealing with crises and triumphs and reversals all over Europe, all happening at the same time. Similarly, it nicely illuminates the almost cyclical nature of Innocent's papacy, where a few years of repeated success would rather abruptly give way to repeated difficulties. It also, unfortunately, has the side effect of making the book feel occasionally superficial, as lots of issues get briefly touched upon and then summarily dropped as Moore has to move along with his narrative. There are also several rather long asides (such as a lengthy description of Gerald of Wales desperate appeal to obtain the bishopric of St. David's) that - while very interesting - are either not central enough to warrant such a prominent spot in a short-ish biography or not shown to be representative enough to work as a case study.
That said though, I think it works well as a biography, especially as an introductory one. Moore does a nice job of providing extensive quotations from Innocent's letters and sermons and he takes the time to consider Innocent's concern for scriptural exegesis and pastoral care instead of the typical focus solely on law and politics. It's a sympathetic portrayal of the pope, but Moore never allows it to slide across the line to hagiography. Definitely recommended.
June 22, 2014
Pretty good overview of one of the most influential popes of the late medieval period. The author is presumably a Catholic (given that the book is published by Notre Dame Press), and the book has a general apologetic tone. Three elements of Innocent's pontificate tend not to appeal to modern sensibilities: his support for the suppression of the Cathars in southern France, his role in the "abortive" crusade that wound up capturing Constantinople instead, and his championing of the theocratic idea that pope could interfere broadly in secular political affairs. The Cathar incident isn't ignored, but when it turns up, it receives very little emphasis as if the author's embarrassed by it (the Fourth Lateran Council gets a lot more attention). The pope's involvement in the Constantinople affair is also downplayed. Finally, the author actually argues at the end in favor of the pope's attempt to make a sort of "United Europe" under his own leadership. That's a pretty ridiculous idea! At the very end, the author says that he's "somewhere in between"' those who like the pope a lot and those who criticize him. Maybe so, but I'm pretty sure he's a lot closer to the former than the latter.
The work is basically chronological, but sometimes this organization is a bit contrived in that he takes advantage of some particular incident to illustrate a more analytical issue. Noticeably, the final chapter on "the end" is actually the place for the author's overall assessment of Innocent rather a proper account of the last two years of the pope.
The book tends to be a bit short on analysis, and frequently the pope's (sometimes verbose) words are simply quoted at length without any analysis as if they speak for themselves. Another fault of analysis is that modern critics of the pope whose views the author wishes to contest are not even cited directly, much less quoted ("some feel…"). One sometimes feels that the author is setting up straw men with a view to defending the pope's behavior. This struck me as bordering on the disingenuous at times.
Still, it's a readable enough account of a very interesting and important figure.
The work is basically chronological, but sometimes this organization is a bit contrived in that he takes advantage of some particular incident to illustrate a more analytical issue. Noticeably, the final chapter on "the end" is actually the place for the author's overall assessment of Innocent rather a proper account of the last two years of the pope.
The book tends to be a bit short on analysis, and frequently the pope's (sometimes verbose) words are simply quoted at length without any analysis as if they speak for themselves. Another fault of analysis is that modern critics of the pope whose views the author wishes to contest are not even cited directly, much less quoted ("some feel…"). One sometimes feels that the author is setting up straw men with a view to defending the pope's behavior. This struck me as bordering on the disingenuous at times.
Still, it's a readable enough account of a very interesting and important figure.
September 13, 2024
“I am placed between God and man, below God but above man; I am less than God but more than man; I am he who will judge all and be judged by none.”
—Pope Innocent III (Sermon 4:2, PL 217:653-660)
This is an electric moment in the history of the modern Roman Catholic Church, and Moore communicates that electricity well in his narrative flow.
—Pope Innocent III (Sermon 4:2, PL 217:653-660)
This is an electric moment in the history of the modern Roman Catholic Church, and Moore communicates that electricity well in his narrative flow.
September 12, 2021
Interesting and easy to read. The book is arranged chronologically which is much better to help the reader get a whole impression of Innocent III. The most impressive part is the description of his death and his funeral, 'sic transit gloria mundi'.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews