Editing Pope Innocent IV (section)

==First Council of Lyon==
[[File:Excommunication.jpg|thumb|14th century miniature depicting the excommunication of [[Emperor Frederick II]] by Pope Innocent IV]]
{{see also|Ad Apostolicae Dignitatis Apicem}}
The [[First Council of Lyon]] of 1245 had the fewest participants of any previous General Council. However, three patriarchs and the [[Latin emperor of Constantinople]] attended, along with about 150 bishops, most of them prelates from France and Spain. They came quickly, and Innocent could rely on their help. Bishops from the rest of Europe outside Spain and France feared retribution from Frederick, while many other bishops were prevented from attending either by the invasions of the [[Mongols]] (Tartars) in the Far East or Muslim incursions in the [[Middle East]]. The [[bishop of Belgorod]] in Russia, Peter, attended and provided information on the Mongols via the ''[[Tractatus de ortu Tartarorum]]''.

During the session, Frederick II's position was defended by [[Taddeo of Suessa]], who renewed in his master's name all the promises made before, but refused to give the guarantees the pope demanded. The council ended on 17 July with the fathers solemnly deposing and excommunicating the Emperor, while absolving all his subjects from their allegiance.<ref>Ioannes Dominicus Mansi, ''Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio'' Tomus 23 (Venice 1779), pp. 613–619 (17 July 1245).</ref>