He was also determined to protect what he called "the liberty of the Church" from inroads by secular princes.

From the 11th century, it was also granted to secular princes, and later to towns or cities.

By the end of the thirteenth century, indulgences were being granted to secular princes for political reasons.

It is usually and correctly said that the chanceries of secular princes did not reach maturity until about 1200.

In the papal view, all secular princes held of the pope, even the emperor.

If the power of secular princes declined, they still retained many rights.

Perhaps we have grown too arrogant, too enamored of our power as secular princes.

In fact Machiavelli opens with a passage that treats prophets as the highest type of secular prince.

The reason for this is that the pope's authority was even closer to the divine than that of secular princes.

The secular princes, for their part, feared Henry's extensive powers.