Innocent III dies in Perugia
July 16, 1216
The most powerful pope of the Middle Ages died suddenly while traveling between Italian cities. Legend held that his body was found stripped by looters in a cathedral overnight, a memento mori that later preachers invoked on the emptiness of worldly rule. His pontificate had seen the Fourth Lateran Council, the Albigensian Crusade, and the humbling of kings from London to Constantinople.
In context
Also in 1216 (3 other events on record)
- Dominicans confirmed as a preaching order · Europe · Religion
- King John dies of dysentery at Newark · Europe · Politics
- Henry III crowned as a child at Gloucester · Europe · Politics
Before and after in Europe
Before and after in Religion
Era
High Middle Ages (1000–1300), one of 1,306 events from that era on Saeculum.
Sources