Editing Pope Innocent IV (section)

==New pope, same emperor==
After a year and a half of contentious debate and coercion, the [[Papal election, 1243|papal conclave]] finally reached a unanimous decision. The choice fell upon Cardinal Sinibaldo  de' Fieschi, who very reluctantly accepted election as Pope on 25 June 1243, taking the name of Innocent IV.<ref>Augustus Potthast, ''Regesta pontificum Romanorum'' II (Berlin 1875), p. 943.</ref> As a cardinal, Sinibaldo had been on friendly terms with Frederick, even after the latter's excommunication. The Emperor greatly admired the cardinal's wisdom, having enjoyed discussions with him from time to time.

Following the election, the witty Frederick remarked that he had lost the friendship of a cardinal but gained the enmity of a pope.

His jest notwithstanding, Frederick's letter to the new pontiff was respectful, offering congratulations to the new Pope and wishing him success. It also expressed hope for an amicable settlement of the differences between the empire and the papacy. Negotiations began shortly afterwards but were not successful. Innocent refused to back down from his demands and Frederick refused to acquiesce.  The dispute continued mostly about the restitution of [[Lombardy]] to the [[Patrimony of St Peter]].

The Emperor's machinations aroused a good deal of anti-papal feelings in Italy, particularly in the Papal States, and imperial agents encouraged plots against papal rule. Realizing to be increasingly unsafe in [[Rome]], Innocent IV secretly and hurriedly withdrew, fleeing Rome on 7 June 1244.<ref>Augustus Potthast, ''Regesta pontificum Romanorum'' II (Berlin 1875), p. 969.</ref> Traveling in disguise, he made his way to [[Sutri]] and then to the port of [[Civitavecchia]], and from there to [[Genoa]], his birthplace, where he arrived on 7 July. On 5 October, he fled from there to [[France]], where he was joyously welcomed. Making his way to [[Lyon]], where he arrived on 29 November 1244, Innocent was greeted cordially by the magistrates of the city.

Innocent was now safe and out of the reach of Frederick II. In a sermon on 27 December 1244, he summoned as many bishops as could get to Lyon (140 bishops eventually came) to attend what became the [[First Council of Lyon|13th General (Ecumenical) Council]] of the Church, the first to be held in Lyon.<ref>Ioannes Dominicus Mansi, ''Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio'' Tomus 23 (Venice 1779), pp. 606–686.</ref> The bishops met for three public sessions: 28 June, 5 July, and 17 July 1245. Their principal purpose was to win over the [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Frederick II]].