Pope Innocent III (1160/61-1216): To Root Up and to Plant

"Thank goodness that John C. Moore's biography of Pope Innocent III is finally available in an affordable format. His clarity of language, nuanced analysis, and evident mastery of both the sources and the wealth of studies devoted to this pope, whose pontificate was a major watershed in Western history, make Moore's study a 'must have' addition to the library of every medieval student and scholar." -- Alfred J. Andrea, University of Vermont

"Moore's analysis of Innocent's pontificate operates on two levels: he explains the papal approach towards events according to their theological background, which is recorded by his sermons, and he constantly examines the facts, as they are recorded in the papal registers. . . . In his conclusions, Moore depicts Innocent as 'fluctuating' between the signs of God and his papal leadership. Thus Innocent 'expanded the theoretical rights and the actual power of the papacy as he inherited it, and he passed it on to his successors to expand even further.' " --Journal of Ecclesiastical History