by the sons which he had of his
first wife, daughter of the landgrave of Germany, to wit Henry and
Conrad, the which Henry he had caused to be crowned in Germany king of
the Romans, and Conrad was duke of Suabia, and Frederick of Antioch,
his first natural son, he made king, and Enzo, his natural son, was
king of Sardinia, and Manfred prince of Taranto; wherefore he would
not yield obedience to the Church, but rather was he obstinate, living
after the fashion of the world, in all bodily delights. For the which
thing by the said Pope Honorius he was excommunicated the year of
Christ 1220, and did not for that reason cease from persecuting the
Church, but so much the more usurped its rights, and so remained the
enemy of the Church and of the Pope Honorius as long as he lived. The
which Pope passed from this life the year of Christ 1226, and after
him was made Pope Gregory IX., born at Alagna in the Campagna, the
which reigned as pope fourteen years; the which Pope Gregory had a
great war with the Emperor Frederick, forasmuch as the Emperor would
in no wise relinquish the rights and jurisdiction of Holy Church, but
rather the more usurped them; and many churches of the kingdom he
caused to be pulled down and deserted, laying heavy imposts upon the
clergy and the churches; and whereas there were certain Saracens in
the mountains of Trapali in Sicily, the Emperor, that he might be the
more secure in the island, and might keep them at a distance from the
Saracens of Barbary, and also to the end that by them he might keep in
fear his subjects in Apulia, by wit and promises drew them from those
mountains, and put them in Apulia in an ancient deserted city, which
of old was in league with the Romans, and was destroyed by the
Samnites, to wit by those of Benivento, the which city was then called
Licera, and now is called Nocera, and they were more than 20,000
men-at-arms; and that city they rebuilt very strong; the which
ofttimes overran the places of Apulia to lay them waste. And when the
said Emperor Frederick was at war with the Church, he caused them to
come into the duchy of Spoleto, and besieged at that time the city of
Assisi, and did great harm to Holy Church; for the which thing the
said Pope Gregory confirmed against him the sentence given by Pope
Honorius his predecessor, and again gave sentence of excommunication
against him, the year of Christ 1230.

[Sidenote: 1233 A.D.]

[Sidenote: 1234 A.D.]

[Sidenote: 123