ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to show Innocent's different attitudes toward Muslims and the effect they had on his conduct, which appears neither homogeneous nor logically derived from the interpretative principles of theology and canon law. This is a matter of 'faith more than religion' and/or of a calibrated political calculus that dispenses from the intransigent demands of religious behavior. This also throws light on the fact that papal politics were demonstrably adaptable and elastic beyond the dogmatic positions taken in the sphere of the purely religious.