The pontificate of Gregory IX (1227-1241) is associated with the culmination of the struggle between the papacy and the Empire, and the pope often characterized as intransigent and implacable, determined to bring about the destruction of the Hohenstaufen and the triumph of the Roman Church. Yet everything about Gregory's pontificate and the man is complex. The pope of the Inquisition and the great expansion of the Crusades, Gregory was also a peacemaker, lawgiver, advocate of Christian mission and the friend and supporter of the friars, his courage or obstinacy perhaps driven by doubts about his own worth and the influence of the apocalyptic thought of Joachim of Fiore. The twelve studies in this volume, covering the period from Gregory's promotion as cardinal in 1198 until his death in 1241, seek to unravel some of the mysteries concerning the pope and present a more detailed and intricate picture of his relations with secular powers and the Church. The editor of this volume, the sixth in a series concerning the popes of the High Middle Ages, owes many debts of gratitude: to Dr Christoph Egger, who planned this project and commented on many of the chapters; to the patience of the various scholars involved; to the Leeds Medieval International Congress, where many of the original papers were presented; to Margaret Mary Summers and Judith Nelams, of the History Department of Saint Louis University, who corrected flaws in spelling and style; to the Amsterdam University Press for their forbearance and careful editing.

DJS