Pharaoh's God

Pope Innocent III aimed to be the most powerful pope in history. He wasn't much for humility. At his consecration, he let everyone know exactly where things were headed by declaring himself “the vicar of Jesus Christ, successor of Peter, the Lord’s anointed, Pharaoh’s god, set between God and man, lower than God but higher than man.”

Once consecrated, he immediately set about bending "Pharaoh" (the kings of secular Europe) to his will. 

In 1200, when King Philip of France left his lawfully married wife to take up with his mistress, Innocent ordered him to go back to his wife. When Philip refused, Innocent put all of France under an interdict, which meant that he closed all the churches and forbade priests to dispense any sacraments. In a day when most people believed that the Mass was a sacrifice necessary to forgive sin and help you avoid going to hell, this freaked a lot of people out. Public pressure eventually forced Philip to bow the knee to Innocent.

In 1202, Innocent picked a decade-long fight with Germany over who got to be the next Holy Roman Emperor. He eventually got his way, installing a man named Otto on the throne. When Otto went back on his promises to Innocent, though, Innocent persuaded France to invade Germany and overthrow him. King Philip, who was eager to get back in Innocent's good graces, was only too happy to oblige.

In 1205, Innocent fell out with King John of England. John had refused to accept his choice for the powerful position of Archbishop of Canterbury. Innocent placed England under an interdict and excommunicated John, but John held out for seven years. Finally, Innocent called on France to invade England. Under threat of invasion, the barons of England revolted against John and put an end to his stubbornness.

Innocent's ability to bend Pharaoh to his will made him the most powerful pope in history. All of Innocent's political machinations had an unintended side effect, however--they weakened King John permanently. In 1215, the barons revolted against him again. This time, they cornered him, and forced him to sign the "Magna Carta," which stated that the king was not above the law and that Englishmen were entitled to due process. 

Innocent hated the Magna Carta because it implied that kings' authority came from the people rather than from God. He immediately declared it to be “null, and void of all validity forever.” King John died the following year, however, and England descended once again into civil war. The Magna Carta remained English law. 

One of the things studying history teaches you is that history has a mind of its own. It seizes the reins from those who think they control it and gallops away. Ironically, Pope Innocent, a man who believed firmly in the divine right of kings and even more firmly in the divine authority of popes, had indirectly helped lay the foundation for limited, constitutional government.