Honorius III
Cencio Savelli · 1216 – 1227
Approved the Franciscan and Dominican orders, organized the Fifth Crusade, and pushed for clergy education.
Honorius III inherited the ambitious agenda of Innocent III and spent his pontificate trying to carry it out. He formally approved the Dominican Order in 1216 and confirmed the Franciscan Rule in 1223, unleashing two movements that would transform Catholic life for centuries. He organized and launched the Fifth Crusade, which ended in failure at Damietta in Egypt, a disappointment he took personally. He also crowned Frederick II as Holy Roman Emperor, extracting a crusade pledge that Frederick would not fulfill for years. Less dramatically but perhaps more importantly, Honorius pushed for better education of parish clergy, recognizing that an ignorant priesthood was the root of many pastoral problems. He was elderly when elected and governed with more patience than flair.
Launching the Mendicants
By approving the Franciscans and Dominicans, Honorius changed the shape of Catholic religious life. These were not monks behind walls. They were preachers and beggars who lived among the people. The mendicant orders revitalized the Church at a moment when it badly needed renewal from within.