Tentativi di accentramento papale e libertas ecclesiastica a Ravenna e in Romagna nella progettualità di Innocenzo III (1198-1216)

The article analyses the relations between Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) and the cities of Romagna throughout his pontificate, with special reference to Ravenna. In particular, it aims to highlight the pope’s universal politico-ecclesiological policies in their dialectic with the complexity of the city realities. Romagna was the target of a series of vigorous initiatives by Innocent III, centred on the watchwords of the Papacy: the fight against heresy, the control of the bishops and the defence of libertas ecclesiastica. It was a programme in tune with Innocent’s broader plans for the reform of the societas christiana and, in many respects, similar to that addressed to the great “Lombard” municipalities (a subject of much more systematic attention by scholars); it is precisely with this comparative perspective that the author proposes to draw greater attention to the Romagnol context.