2018/01/01 by Stephen Donnachie · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · #Medieval History and Crusades #Byzantine Studies and History
paper · pdf · doi:10.14296/rih/2014/2259
openalex publication_date 2018/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2025/11/06
History has not been kind to the reputation of Pope Honorius III .This is largely because he had the misfortune to reign as pope between the pontificates of Innocent III (1198-1216) and Gregory IX (1227-41), whose actions in reforming the church and expanding the scope of the medieval crusading movement, and struggles to exert papal authority over the German emperors, have cast exceedingly long shadows which dominate the narrative of papal history in the early-13th century.Honorius's achievements have been eclipsed by those of his two contemporaries, and there has been a general dearth of detailed research into Honorius's pontificate in comparison to his more prominent predecessor and successor.Wedged between these two imposing figures, Honorius has been consistently characterised as a weak man, gentle or simple in nature, whose pontificate was but an echo of Innocent III's.However, more recent publications from James Powell, Rebecca Rist, and others (1) have challenged this traditional interpretation of Honorius III, and begun to create a more favourable image of his frequently underrated and disparaged papacy.Thomas W. Smith, in this insightful, highly detailed, and much needed volume, builds upon these previous works and provides us with a thorough analysis of Honorius III's pontificate, his diplomacy, and his contribution to the crusading movement which led, albeit briefly, to the recovery of the Holy Land for Latin Christendom.