HIST-102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 50: Extortion, Bernard Of Cluny, Lothario
18 Nov 2020
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When lothario dei segni became pope innocent iii in 1198, he was the youngest cardinal in the church. only thirty-seven years of age. He had written two still-underrated books, de contemptu mundi [ on contempt for the. It is in this light that we must consider innocent"s enormous political ambition. for even though he had an aristocratic background and an autocratic temperament he did not seek power for power"s sake. Nor did he bother to elucidate a large, carefully developed, all-embracing theory about papal might; he simply produced a justification for every action whenever one was needed. To take a particular example: like many churchmen, innocent had ambivalent feelings toward the economic bonanza that europe was enjoying. The improved standard of living certainly pleased everyone in a general way. but the embryonic system of capitalism that was emerging raised important moral questions. Capitalism, after all, depends on the use of credit in order to function.
