The Empire and the Papacy, 918-1273Tout, T. F. (Thomas Frederick)
History
The Empire and the Papacy, 918-1273
Tout, T. F. (Thomas Frederick)
Europe -- History -- 476-1492; Holy Roman Empire -- History -- 843-1273; Papacy
Innocent thus restored the Papacy to its old position in things
spiritual, but not even St. Bernard could give him much help against
Roger of Sicily. After the quarrel of Pope and Emperor, the Norman king
speedily won back his position in Apulia and Calabria, and even at the
very end of the schism his influence had forced Monte Casino, the mother
of all Western monasticism, to acknowledge Anacletus. Spiritual weapons
were useless against Roger. No sooner, therefore, was the council over
than Innocent took the field in person against his rebellious vassal.
The fate of Leo IX. was speedily repeated. The papal army was no match
against Roger’s veterans, and Innocent, shut up in San Germano, was
forced to yield himself prisoner. Roger showed the head of the Church
the same respect which Robert had shown his predecessor. But the Pope
could only win back his liberty by confirming to the Norman all the
advantages which he had formerly wrested from the weakness of Anacletus.
The treaty of Mignano again restored the old alliance between the Papacy
and the Italian Normans. Roger did homage to Innocent for Sicily,
Apulia, and Capua. A great south Italian kingdom was thus definitely
legalised which, in the varied changes of subsequent history,
obstinately maintained its unity with itself and its separateness from
the rest of the peninsula.
[Sidenote: The organisation of the kingdom of Sicily under Roger II.,
1127–1154.]
Roger governed the state which he had founded with rare ability and
energy. He was a true Norman, and many features of his character suggest
a comparison between him and William the Conqueror. He now showed as
much capacity in statecraft as he had previously shown as a warrior.
Fierce, relentless, and unforgiving, he ruthlessly crushed the barons
that had profited by the period of struggle to consolidate their
independence, and built up a well-ordered centralised despotism, that
was able to give examples in the art of government to Henry of Anjou.
With rare sympathy and skill, he permitted the motley population of his
new kingdom to live their old lives under their old laws. The Saracens
of Sicily that had faithfully supported him in the days of his
adversity, continued in their former abodes, occupying separate
districts in the cities, worshipping without hindrance in their mosques,
and still governed in the petty matters of everyday life by their own
judges after the laws of Islam. The Byzantine Greeks, still numerous in
the towns of Calabria, enjoyed similar immunities for their schismatic
worship, and still followed the Roman law. Arabic and Greek were equally
recognised with Latin as official languages in the public acts, and
Roger’s coins bore Arabic devices. The court of the king took a
character of Eastern pomp and luxury that anticipated the times of
Frederick II. A Greek general led Roger’s armies, and a Greek churchman,
who wrote a book against the Roman primacy, shared with Arab physicians,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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