Rethinking Innocent IV and the Crusades: A Multidisciplinary Inquiry
London (Hybrid)
24–25 September 2026
Room 1, Stewart House, Royal Holloway London Graduate School
32 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DN
The conference “Rethinking Innocent IV and the Crusades” offers a fresh assessment of the pontificate of Innocent IV (1243–1254) and its significance for the history of the crusading movement. Although often overshadowed by his predecessors, Innocent IV governed during a period of profound change, marked by the Mongol advance, renewed expeditions to the Holy Land, the expansion of crusading activity in the Baltic, and complex negotiations with secular rulers. His pontificate provides a unique perspective on the evolution of papal authority, crusading ideology, and the political, legal, and diplomatic transformations of the mid-thirteenth century.
Bringing together leading international scholars and early-career researchers, the conference will explore these themes through a multidisciplinary lens, drawing on papal history, theology, canon law, political thought, manuscript studies, and diplomatic history. Discussions will address topics including the Mongol threat, the organisation and financing of crusades, papal legal thought on infidels and jurisdiction, the role of papal legates, and the interaction between papal policy and regional politics across Europe and the Near East.
By fostering dialogue across disciplines, the conference aims to advance new perspectives on Innocent IV’s pontificate and its place within wider historiographical debates on the crusades and the medieval papacy.
Whether you are a specialist, an early-career researcher, a postgraduate student, or simply interested in medieval history, we warmly invite you to join us in person or online this September.
Hybrid event: attend either in person or online.
Register here:
https://zclg001.wixsite.com/rethinkinginnocentiv
For enquiries:
Alessandro.scalone.2018@live.rhul.ac.uk
Collette.firestone.2015@live.rhul.ac.uk
