Page "Adolf, King of Germany" Paragraph 31

It is remarkable that Adolf was not excommunicated by the Pope before being deposed.

The pope was probably not even included in the deposition procedure.

The princes, it is true, did try to formulate their arguments similar to Innocent IV ’ s statement in the deposition of Frederick II, but the process was unheard of for this time.

Because Adolf had been elected and crowned, the contemporary understanding was that he had been chosen by God to be the ruler and that the princes were breaking their oath in which they swore loyalty to the king.

Therefore, included in the list of charges were some that, at first glance, appear peculiar today, such as the desecration of communion wafers and the simonistic extortion of money.

Furthermore, there was no imperial legal procedure for the ousting of the king.

Therefore the princes relied on their right to vote, from which also derived the right to oust a king.

This argument was problematic insofar as the deposition of Frederick II was already a precedent for this case.

According to church law, only the Pope had the power to depose a king. Historical depiction of Adolf ’ s death at the Battle of Göllheim, by Master Simon, Koblenz, 1829