Who else but King John?
In 1209 Pope Innocent III appointed Stephen Langton to be Archbishop of Canterbury, this is the senior appointment of the church in England.
King John disagreed, wanting his own appointee to take up the position.
Pope Innocent didn’t agree either and so placed England under interdict thus cutting the nation off from receiving the sacraments, and later excommunicated this turbulent king.
John is famous for signing and rejecting the 1215 Magna Carta, but the disagreement with Rome also had long-reaching and serious consequences.
The disagreement lasted until 1213, when John was brought to his senses and forced to apply to the Pope for forgiveness and the reinstatement of his former entitlements.
Pope Innocent agreed, but there was a price to pay.
England was to become a papal fief of Rome, AND pay an annual stipend of 1000 marks per annum – forever.This gave Rome a right to receive monies from the English and allow the pope to interfere in the governance of the country, and have papal representatives live in and influence in its affairs.
England sent money to Rome for a number of years but gradually forgot about it, however, did this episode in English history lead to King Henry VIII’s break with the church in Rome and form the Church of England in November 1534 when he failed to obtain a divorce from his Catholic Spanish queen?