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Prelude. The Legate

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PRELUDETheLegateOn22November1220, before a crowd in the Church of Saint Peter at Rome,PopeHonoriusIIIcrownedFrederickII—alreadykingoftheGermans,ofLom-bardy,andoftheRegno,thecombinedregionsofCalabria,Apulia,andSicily—emperoroftheRomans.ThiseventmarkedthebeginningofFrederick’simperialreign as well as the culmination of years-long cooperation between the youngHohenstaufenrulerandthepapacy,whichhadsupportedhisrightsinSicilydur-inghisminorityandbackedhisclaimtothecontestedGermanthrone.Aspartofthecoronationceremony,Frederickissuedanumberofconstitutions,swearingamongotherthingstorecognizetheterritorialpossessions,honors,andrightsoftheRomanchurch,tomaintainaformalseparationbetweentheRegnoandtheempire, and to assure that his officials would take action against heretics of allkinds.1Onthatsolemnoccasion,healsorenewedhiscrusadingvow,firstswornduringhisroyalcoronationatAachenin1215.RichardofSanGermano,achroni-clerwithtiestotheimperialcourt,describedhowtheemperor“publiclyrenewedhis vow”at thehands ofHugolino dei Conti,the cardinalbishop ofOstia andVelletriandthefuturepopeGregoryIX.2Afewmonthslater,HonoriusappointedHugolinototheofficeoffulllegationinLombardyandTuscanytopromoteFrederick’spromisedcrusadetotheholyplaces.Theelderlycleric,probablyaboutseventyyearsold,hadalonghistoryofserviceatthepapalcuriaandexperienceactingasalegateforHonoriusandhispredecessor,InnocentIII,includingaprevioustourofdutyinLombardy.3WhenFrederickheardthenewsaboutHugolino’sassignmenttotheregion,ashelaterwrotetothecardinalbishop,hewasoverjoyedtohearthatthepopehadassignedhis“fatherinChristandfriend”tocarryoutthe“businessofthecross.”Address-ingthecommunitiesofnorthernItaly,theemperorsignaledhissupportforHugolino,authorizinghimtoabsolveanyonesubjecttoimperialbanishmentaslong as they agreed to join the crusade and telling his subjects to honor thecardinal“likeourownperson.”4PapallegateslikeHugolinodeiContiembodiedthejudicialandsacramentalauthorityoftheApostolicSeeforthosewhomightneverlayeyesonthebishopof
© 2019 University of Pennsylvania Press, 3905 Spruce Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4112

PRELUDETheLegateOn22November1220, before a crowd in the Church of Saint Peter at Rome,PopeHonoriusIIIcrownedFrederickII—alreadykingoftheGermans,ofLom-bardy,andoftheRegno,thecombinedregionsofCalabria,Apulia,andSicily—emperoroftheRomans.ThiseventmarkedthebeginningofFrederick’simperialreign as well as the culmination of years-long cooperation between the youngHohenstaufenrulerandthepapacy,whichhadsupportedhisrightsinSicilydur-inghisminorityandbackedhisclaimtothecontestedGermanthrone.Aspartofthecoronationceremony,Frederickissuedanumberofconstitutions,swearingamongotherthingstorecognizetheterritorialpossessions,honors,andrightsoftheRomanchurch,tomaintainaformalseparationbetweentheRegnoandtheempire, and to assure that his officials would take action against heretics of allkinds.1Onthatsolemnoccasion,healsorenewedhiscrusadingvow,firstswornduringhisroyalcoronationatAachenin1215.RichardofSanGermano,achroni-clerwithtiestotheimperialcourt,describedhowtheemperor“publiclyrenewedhis vow”at thehands ofHugolino dei Conti,the cardinalbishop ofOstia andVelletriandthefuturepopeGregoryIX.2Afewmonthslater,HonoriusappointedHugolinototheofficeoffulllegationinLombardyandTuscanytopromoteFrederick’spromisedcrusadetotheholyplaces.Theelderlycleric,probablyaboutseventyyearsold,hadalonghistoryofserviceatthepapalcuriaandexperienceactingasalegateforHonoriusandhispredecessor,InnocentIII,includingaprevioustourofdutyinLombardy.3WhenFrederickheardthenewsaboutHugolino’sassignmenttotheregion,ashelaterwrotetothecardinalbishop,hewasoverjoyedtohearthatthepopehadassignedhis“fatherinChristandfriend”tocarryoutthe“businessofthecross.”Address-ingthecommunitiesofnorthernItaly,theemperorsignaledhissupportforHugolino,authorizinghimtoabsolveanyonesubjecttoimperialbanishmentaslong as they agreed to join the crusade and telling his subjects to honor thecardinal“likeourownperson.”4PapallegateslikeHugolinodeiContiembodiedthejudicialandsacramentalauthorityoftheApostolicSeeforthosewhomightneverlayeyesonthebishopof
© 2019 University of Pennsylvania Press, 3905 Spruce Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4112
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