On another occasion Innocent ordered John, the English
king, to accept as archbishop of Canterbury a man of his own choosing. When
John declared that he would never allow the pope's appointee to set foot on
English soil, Innocent replied by excommunicating him and laying his kingdom
under an interdict. John also had to yield and went so far as to surrender
England and Ireland to the pope, receiving them back again as fiefs, for which
he promised to pay a yearly rent. This tribute money was actually paid, though
irregularly, for about a century and a half.
FREDERICK II, EMPEROR, 1212-1250 A.D.
Innocent further exhibited his power by elevating to the
imperial throne Frederick II, grandson of Frederick Barbarossa. The young man,
after Innocent's death, proved to be a most determined opponent of the Papacy.
He passed much of his long reign in Italy, warring vainly against the popes and
the Lombard cities. Frederick died in 1250 A.D., and with him the Holy Roman
Empire really ceased to exist. [38] None of the succeeding holders of the
imperial title exercised any authority outside of Germany.
[38] It survived in name until 1806 A.D., when the
Austrian ruler, Francis II, laid down the imperial crown and the venerable
title of "Holy Roman Emperor."
