rong, and constant, himself devoted
to the Church and descended on each side from a devout stock, we, by
the authority of St. Peter, receive him as king, and will in due
course bestow upon him the imperial crown." The grateful Otto promised
in return to maintain all the possessions and privileges of the Roman
Church, including the inheritance of the countess Matilda.

Philip of Swabia still held his own, and the extravagance of the papal
claim led to many of the bishops as well as the lay magnates of
Germany joining in a declaration that no former pope had ever presumed
to interfere in an imperial election. But the swords of his German
followers were a stronger argument in favor of Philip's claims than
the protests of his supporters against papal assumptions. As time went
on, the Hohenstaufen slowly got the better of the Guelfs. With the
falling away of the North, Otto's cause became distinctly the losing
one. In 1206, Otto was defeated outside the walls of Cologne, and the
great trading city was forced to transfer its obedience to his rival.
In 1207 Philip became so strong that Innocent was constrained to
reconsider his position, and suggested to Otto the propriety of
renouncing his claims. But in June, 1208, Philip was treacherously
murdered at Bamberg by his faithless vassal, Otto of Wittelsbach, to
whom he had refused his daughter's hand. It was no political crime,
but a deed of private vengeance. It secured, however, the position of
Otto, for the ministeriales now transferred their allegiance to him,
and there was no Hohenstaufen candidate ready to oppose him. Otto,
moreover, did not scruple to undergo a fresh election which secured
for him universal recognition in Germany. By marrying Beatrice, Philip
of Swabia's daughter, he sought to unite the rival houses, while he
conciliated Innocent by describing himself as King "by the grace of
God and the Pope." Next year he crossed the Alps to Italy, and bound
himself by oath, not only to allow the papacy the privileges that he
had already granted, but to grant complete freedom of ecclesiastical
elections, and to support the Pope in his struggle against heresy. In
October, 1209, he was crowned Emperor at Rome. After ten years of
waiting, Innocent, already master of Italy, had procured for his
dependent both the German kingdom and the Roman Empire.

Despite his preoccupation with Italy and Germany, the early years of
Innocent's pontificate saw him busily engaged in uphold