Innocent’s approval as thesine qua nonfor his forthcoming campaign to
vindicate his and Elvira’s rights in southern Italy and Sicily. In the spring
of 1200, with his bride and mother-in-law in tow, Walter paid a visit to
Rome.^29 As might have been expected, Innocent would not acknowledge
any claim of Elvira’s, and hence of Walter’s, to the crown of Sicily itself.
However, he did recognize their right to the principality of Taranto and
the county of Lecce.^30 Even this was something of a wrench for the
papacy, since it involved‘sacrificing’the current count of Lecce, whom
Innocent had promised to protect only a short while beforehand.^31
However, Innocent went still further than this. He held open the pro-
spect that Walter could have the effective rule of the kingdom of Sicily, at
least for the time being, as regent of the kingdom and guardian of the
child king, Frederick.^32 Nonetheless, all of this could not allay deeply
held suspicions that Innocent, in serving the interests of the Church, was
effectively betraying those of his young ward.
However, Innocent went to enormous lengths to defend himself
against this allegation. We can know a great deal about what he argued,
thanks to the fact that a crucial pair of letters have survived, embedded in
theGesta Innocentii III. In thefirst of these letters, Innocent emphasizes
the‘nobility and power’of Walter III. Bearing this in mind, said the
pope, it was better for the young King Frederick to have him as a friend
than as an enemy:‘We have deliberated what should be done, whether to
try to get [Walter’s] support for the king, or to allow him to take up a
position hostile to the kingdom.’Suitable precautions had been taken to
ensure Walter’s good behaviour, not least an oath sworn by the count
in public consistory,‘in the presence of a large crowd’. Summing up,
Innocent declares:
Recognizing, therefore, that...his petition was just, we granted our apostolic
favour to him...lest, if we were to deny him his just claims, he would join the
enemies of the kingdom, or would become a stronger enemy of the king...after
we had discussed many plans with him with diligent zeal, we arranged for him to
undertake a security, sworn on the cross and relics, that neither by himself, nor
through another, would he enter into any scheme against the person of the king,
his honour, or the kingdom of Sicily. Rather, when he obtains [Taranto and
Lecce], or a just substitute, he will keep faith with the king at our command.
He will pay homage to us and will, on the proper oath, obtain the guardianship of
the king and the regency of the kingdom, and he will work in good faith...against
the king’s enemies, namely Markward, Dipold [of Acerra, and others.]
(^29) See Van Cleve,Markward of Anweiler, 142 n. 32.
(^30) The Deeds of Pope Innocent III, ch. 25.
(^31) See Van Cleve,Markward of Anweiler, 145–6.
(^32) The Deeds of Pope Innocent III, ch. 25.
The Life and Death of Walter III 39