The end of the 12th century was a time of fundamental changes in medieval society: the collapse of the idea of the Crusades, the capture of Jerusalem by Saladin, the campaigns of Frederick Barbarossa in Italy, the schism in the Church. During this difficult time, the Papal Throne was occupied by Alexander III, an intellectual versed in the subtle issues of canon law and trying to reconcile the interests of warring European states. The peacemaker pope managed to overcome the church schism, through lengthy negotiations he found a compromise with the ambitious emperor, and the pinnacle of his activity was the Third Lateran Council, which greatly influenced the worldview of subsequent generations. Not being a supporter of the theory of Caesaropapism, Alexander III combined the features of a far-sighted statesman and an enlightened shepherd of the Church; his concern for the temporal and spiritual bore fruit: political stability was established in Europe.