A Source Book for Mediæval History: Selected Documents illustrating the History of Europe in the Middle AgeThatcher, Oliver J. (Oliver Joseph)
History
A Source Book for Mediæval History: Selected Documents illustrating the History of Europe in the Middle Age
Thatcher, Oliver J. (Oliver Joseph)
Europe -- History -- 476-1492 -- Sources; Middle Ages -- Sources
The king [Frederick] advanced with his army to the neighborhood of Sutri
and encamped in Campo Grasso. The pope, however, came to Nepi, and on
the day after his arrival was met there by many of the German princes
and a great concourse of clergy and laymen, and conducted with his
bishops and cardinals to the tent of the king. But when the cardinals
who came with the pope saw that the king did not come forward to act as
the esquire of the pope [_i.e._, to hold his stirrup while he
dismounted], they were greatly disturbed and terrified, and retreated to
Civita Castellana, leaving the pope before the tent of the king. And the
pope, distressed and uncertain what he should do, sadly dismounted and
sat down on the seat which had been prepared for him. Then the king
prostrated himself before the pope, kissing his feet and presenting
himself for the kiss of peace. But the pope said: "You have refused to
pay me the due and accustomed honor which your predecessors, the
orthodox emperors, have always paid to my predecessors, the Roman popes,
out of reverence for the apostles, Peter and Paul; therefore I will not
give you the kiss of peace until you have made satisfaction." The king,
however, replied that he was not under obligations to perform the
service. The whole of the following day was spent in the discussion of
this point, the army in the meantime remaining there. And after the
testimony of the older princes had been taken, especially of those who
had been present at the meeting of king Lothar and pope Innocent (II),
and the ancient practice had been determined, the princes and the royal
court decided that the king ought to act as the esquire of the pope and
hold his stirrup, out of reverence for the apostles, Peter and Paul. On
the next day the camp of the king was moved to the territory of Nepi, on
the shores of lake Janula, and there king Frederick, in accordance with
the decision of the princes, advanced to meet the pope, who was
approaching by another way. And when the pope came within about a
stone's throw from the emperor, the emperor dismounted and proceeded on
foot to meet the pope, and there in the sight of his army he acted as
the pope's esquire, holding his stirrup for him to dismount. Then the
pope gave him the kiss of peace.
99. Treaty between Adrian IV and William of Sicily, 1156.
Watterich, Pont. Rom. Vitæ, II, pp. 352 ff; Doeberl, IV, no. 34.
By this document the long struggle between the popes and the kings of
Sicily was brought to an end. The terms of the treaty were very
favorable to the pope, but William retained as privileges certain things
which were in other countries generally regarded as belonging to the
pope. For the effects of this treaty on the relations between Adrian IV
and Frederick I, see no. 100, introductory note.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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