Election Innocent III died on 16 July 1216. Two days later, seventeen cardinals present at his death assembled to
elect a new pope. The troubled state of affairs in Italy, the threatening attitude of the
Tatars, and the fear of a
schism induced the cardinals to agree to an election by compromise. Cardinals Ugolino of Ostia (afterwards
Pope Gregory IX) and Guido Papareschi were empowered to appoint the new pope. Their choice fell upon Cencio Savelli, who accepted the
tiara with reluctance and took the name of Honorius III. He was consecrated at Perugia on 24 July 1216 and was crowned at Rome on 31 August 1216. He took possession of the Lateran on 3 September 1216. The Roman people were greatly elated at the election, for Honorius III was himself a Roman and by his extreme kindness had endeared himself to the hearts of all. To procure the means necessary for this colossal undertaking, the Pope, and the cardinals were to contribute the tenth part of their income for three years. All other ecclesiastics were to contribute the twentieth part. Though the money thus collected was considerable, it was by no means sufficient for a general crusade as planned by Honorius III. (Béla III willed property and money to Andrew, obliging him to lead a crusade to the Holy Land.) Like many other rulers, his former pupil, the Emperor Frederick II of Germany, had taken an oath to embark for the Holy Land in 1217. the
Franciscan Order in 1223, and the
Carmelite Order's
Rule of St. Albert of Jerusalem in 1226. In 1219 Honorius III invited
Saint Dominic and his companions to take up residence at the ancient Roman
basilica of
Santa Sabina, which they did by early 1220. Before that time the friars had only a temporary residence in
Rome at the convent of
San Sisto Vecchio, which Honorius had given to St. Dominic c. 1218, intending it to become a convent for a reformation of nuns in Rome under Dominic's guidance. The
studium conventuale at Santa Sabina was the forerunner of the
Dominican studium generale at
Santa Maria sopra Minerva. In 1217 Honorius III gave the title of
King of Serbia to
Stefan the First-Crowned. During his pontificate, many of the
tertiary orders came into existence. He approved the Franciscan
Brothers and Sisters of Penance Rule in 1221 with the bull
Memoriale propositi. He also approved the religious congregation
"Val des Écoliers" (valley of scholars), which had been founded by four pious professors of theology at the
University of Paris,
France. ==Writings==