fief of the holy see, and promising tribute to Innocent and his
successors. In 1213 a greater monarch than the struggling Christian
kings of the Iberian peninsula was forced, after a long struggle, to
make an even more abject submission.

The long strife of Innocent with John of Anjou, about the disputed
election to the see of Canterbury, was fought with the same weapons
which the Pope had already employed against the King of France. But
John held out longer. Interdict was followed by excommunication and
threatened deposition. At last the English King surrendered his crown
to the papal agent Pandulf, and, like Peter of Aragon, received it
back as a vassal of the papacy, bound by an annual tribute.

Nor were these the only kings that sought the support of the great
Pope. The schismatic princes of the East vied in ardor with the
Catholic princes of the West in their quest of Innocent's favor. King
Leo of Armenia begged for his protection. The Bulgarian prince John
besought the Pope to grant him a royal crown. Innocent posed as a
mediator in Hungary between the two brothers, Emeric and Andrew, who
were struggling for the crown. Canute of Denmark, zealous for his
sister's honor, was his humble suppliant. Poland was equally obedient.
The Duke of Bohemia accepted the papal reproof for allying himself
with Philip of Swabia.

Despite his vigor and his authority, Innocent's constant interference
with the internal concerns of every country in Europe did not pass
unchallenged. Even the kings who invoked his intercession were
constantly in conflict with him. Besides his great quarrels in
Germany, France, and England, Innocent had many minor wars to wage
against the princes of Europe. For five years the kingdom of Leon lay