Post miserabile (Latin: Sadly, after) was a crusading bull issued by Pope Innocent III on 15 August 1198 calling for the Fourth Crusade in the Holy Land. More than any other crusading bull, it was not issued in response to any single event, such as setback in the East, but was more organisational in tone, foreshadowing the bureaucratic and administrative changes Innocent would make to the crusading institutions. Background Upon Innocent's accession to the papacy in 1198, the preaching of a Fourth Crusade became one of the goals of his pontificate. Both the kings of England and France were at war, and several other states did not heed the pontiff's call to take up arms for a crusade. Knowing that most European monarchs were preoccupied with their own affairs of state, the purpose of Post miserabile was to settle their disputes and focus attention on the East.One of the techniques used by Innocent to ensure action is to report alleged Muslim taunts against the kings of France and England: Already we have weakened and shattered...