Katie's Reviews > Pope Innocent III (1160/61–1216): To Root Up and to Plant

This is a very well-done introductory biography to the papacy of Innocent III, one of the most active and prominent of medieval popes. Moore is a good writer and he's very familiar with Innocent's letters and the papal registry in general.

One of the most interesting things about this book is its structure. Rather than take the usual route and organize the book thematically - a chapter on the fourth crusade, on Lateran IV, on relations with John and Philip Augustus, and on the Hohenstaufen/Welf rivalry, as examples - Moore organizes his work chronologically. This allots the book quite a bit of its dynamism, and the reader gets a great sense (especially in Innocent's first few years) of how insanely busy he was, dealing with crises and triumphs and reversals all over Europe, all happening at the same time. Similarly, it nicely illuminates the almost cyclical nature of Innocent's papacy, where a few years of repeated success would rather abruptly give way to repeated difficulties. It also, unfortunately, has the side effect of making the book feel occasionally superficial, as lots of issues get briefly touched upon and then summarily dropped as Moore has to move along with his narrative. There are also several rather long asides (such as a lengthy description of Gerald of Wales desperate appeal to obtain the bishopric of St. David's) that - while very interesting - are either not central enough to warrant such a prominent spot in a short-ish biography or not shown to be representative enough to work as a case study.

That said though, I think it works well as a biography, especially as an introductory one. Moore does a nice job of providing extensive quotations from Innocent's letters and sermons and he takes the time to consider Innocent's concern for scriptural exegesis and pastoral care instead of the typical focus solely on law and politics. It's a sympathetic portrayal of the pope, but Moore never allows it to slide across the line to hagiography. Definitely recommended.