Celestine III. elected in 1191, is the last pope of the 12th centuiy. Innocent III. who reigned from 1198 to 1216 ought to be considered belonging to the XII. Baronius relates²¹⁵ that in consecrating Heniy VI. Çelestine pushed with his foot the imperial crown. Muratori disputes the fact,²¹⁶ which proves, according to Baronius, the popes right to depose the emperor: in fine there can no finer reason be given for such a privilege. However it may be, Celestine excommunicated Heniy VI. Leopold Duke of Austria, Alphonso X. king of Leon, and annulled the decision of the French bishops, who had approved the repudiation of Ingelburg II. the wife of Philip Augustus. It is to be remarked that these anathemas although still formidable, had lost a large portion of their unfortunate efficacy. Philip took a third wife, without any new opposition on the part of Celestine. This pope, for some marcs of silver, acknowledged, as king of Sicily, Frederick II. a child of three years, son of the emperor Henry VI. In 1197, Henry died, and Germany was divided between Philip of Swabia, and Otho of Saxony; the simultaneous election of these two emperors became one of the causes of the aggrandizement of the pontifical power. Divisions in Germany, rivalry between France and England, new governments in almost all the states of Italy, expeditions into Palestine, hostilities of the crusaders against the emperors of the East, the propagation of the false decretals in the West: all concurred to promise the most splendid success to the pontiff, who, uniting boldness to skill, should reign sufficiently long to conduct a great enterprise: and this pontiff was Innocent III. ²¹³ Velly’s Hist, of France, vol. 3, p. 327. ²¹⁴ Frasche. ²¹⁵ Ann. eccles. ann. 1191. ²¹⁶ Ann. d’ltal. ann. 1191. CHAPTER VI. POWER OF THE POPES OF THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY INNOCENT III. in one and the same year, bestowed in the plenitude of his power three royal crowns; to Ioanice, that of Walachia²¹⁷ ; to Premislaus, that of Bohemia²¹⁸ ; to Peter II., that of Arragon. Peter received his at Rome, and did the pope homage for his states, which became tributary to the Holy See.²¹⁹ But Innocent, the dispenser of kingdoms, and who even gave away that of Armenia, distinguished himself still more frequently by his anathemas. Venice, France, England, the emperor, all the great potentates of Europe, have experienced the force of his spiritual arms. ²¹⁷ Fleury’s Eccles. Hist. 1. 76, n. 14,1. 76, n. 6. ²¹⁸ Ibid. 1. 76, n 9. ²¹⁹ Ibid. 1. 76, n, 10.