Pope election 1241

The papal election of 1241 (September 21 to October 25) saw the election of Cardinal Goffredo di Castiglione as Pope Celestine IV. The election took place during the first of many protracted sedis vacancies of the Middle Ages and, like many of them, was marked by controversy between the church and the emperor. This choice took place in particular in the context of the dispute between Emperor Friedrich II. , The Lombards League and the (now deceased) Pope Gregory IX. instead, which divided Italy into an imperial and papal faction known as the Ghibellines and Guelphs .

During the sedis vacancy, Frederick II surrounded Rome with his armies and prevented the arrival of some cardinals who were known to be hostile to his interests. Unable to reach consensus, the cardinals were locked up in a monastery called the Septasolium by Roman officials, where they eventually agreed to one of their oldest and weakest members as the new pope. It was believed that the conditions inside the building contributed to the death of a papabile and even the death of Celestine IV shortly after the election. After the death of Celestine IV in November 1241, the war on the peninsula resumed and the cardinals were scattered for more than a year and a half before they met in Anagni to elect the next Pope with Innocent IV ( papal election 1243 ) .

The compulsory segregation of cardinals during the election was historically significant and, along with other papal elections in the 13th century, contributed to the formation of the conclave .

background

The pontificate of Gregory IX. (1227–1241) and the rule of Frederick II came at a time when the centuries-old dispute between emperors and popes came to a head. Friedrich II had not kept promises to the failed crusade of Damiette ; after his marriage to Isabella of Brienne , Queen of Jerusalem , he carried out his own crusade , but later left it and returned to Italy for various political, economic and military reasons. Events related to the Crusades served Gregory IX. as a pretext for the excommunication of Frederick, this in turn for fights between supporters of the Pope and the Emperor (Guelphs and Ghibellines) all over the Italian peninsula, especially in Lombardy . Before his death, Gregory IX. calls for a synod of bishops to denounce Frederick II, and the emperor had tried very hard to prevent this meeting, including by imprisoning prelates and cardinals.

The election of the Pope took place under threats from the army of Frederick II stationed in the surrounding area before he withdrew to Apulia to show that he had "been at war with Gregory IX and not with the Church." Two cardinals had previously been to England ( Oddone di Tonengo ) and France ( Giacomo da Pecorara , OCist.) Have been sent to gather bishops and other prelates for Gregory's Council. Since Frederick and his army held the Lombard plain and Tuscany , the travelers had to take the sea route. A fleet was put together by the two cardinals at Nice and Genoa , and despite warnings from the Genoese, they insisted on setting sails. On May 3, 1241 , Frederick's fleet landed it off the small island of Giglio , and a large number of the travelers, including the two cardinals, were captured and brought to southern Italy (for details see: Sea Battle of Giglio ).

The election took place in the Saepta Solis ("District of the Sun") near the Clivus Scauri , an ancient complex that had been converted into a monastery. The cardinals were appointed by Senator Matteo Rosso Orsini , father of Giovanni Caetano Orsini , who held this office to Gregory IX. owes, fixed there. The terms of the election were found stressful by a contemporary writer hostile to the Orsini , with urine from Orsini's guards on the roof seeping into the voting chamber along with the rain. The forced retreat in the Saepta Solis actually only took place during the last two weeks of the conclave. It is even alleged that the citizens of Rome, upset by rumors that a non-cardinal would be elected, threatened to seize the body of Pope Gregory IX. dig up and bring him to the cardinals in the Saepta Solis . Another report says that Orsini himself threatened to have the body exhumed and publicly displayed with full papal insignia.

Eligible voters

According to various reports, the college of cardinals existed at the death of Gregory IX. from 12 to 14 cardinals.

Of these cardinals, ten actually took part in the final ballot. When Gregory died, most of the cardinals who took part in the election were already in Rome, and the two cardinals who were held captive by Frederick II were in Naples . Cardinal Colonna was on one of his estates near Palestrina when the Pope died; He had met with Gregory IX. argued violently and withdrew from the curia. He had consulted the emperor on his estate. When Gregory died, the emperor, who was in Grottaferrata with his army, gave permission ( licentia ) to all cardinals outside Rome to return.

cardinal	origin	rank	Title (church)	Appointed on	by	Remarks
Raynaldus de 'Conti	Jenne	Cardinal Bishop	Bishop of Ostia and Velletri	September 18, 1227	Gregory IX.	later Pope Alexander IV.
Romano Bonaventure	Rome	Cardinal Bishop	Bishop of Porto-Santa Rufina	1216	Innocent III.	Not to be confused with Bonaventure, who lived at the same time
Goffredo da Castiglione	Milan	Cardinal Bishop	Bishop of Sabina	September 18, 1227	Gregory IX.	Pope Celestine IV
Stefano de Normandis dei Conti	Rome	Cardinal priest	Santa Maria in Trastevere	1216	Innocent III.	Nephew of Innocent III.
Giovanni Colonna	Rome	Cardinal priest	Santa Prassede	February 18, 1212	Innocent III.	The first Colonna cardinal
Sinibaldo Fieschi	Lavagna	Cardinal priest	San Lorenzo in Lucina	September 18, 1227	Gregory IX.	later Pope Innocent IV.
Raniero Capocci , O.Cist.	Todi	Cardinal deacon	Santa Maria in Cosmedin	1216	Innocent III.	Cardinal Protodeacon
Gil Torres	Spain	Cardinal deacon	Santi Cosma e Damiano	December 1216	Honorius III.
Riccardo Annibaldi	Rome	Cardinal deacon	Sant'Angelo in Pescheria	1237	Gregory IX.	Rector of Marittima e Campagna; Nephew of Cardinal Rinaldo Conti de Segni
Robert Somercotes	England	Cardinal deacon	Sant'Eustachio	1238	Gregory IX.	Died during the Sedis vacancy on September 26, 1241

Did not take part in the election:

cardinal	origin	rank	title	Appointed on	by	Remarks
Giacomo da Pecorara , O.Cist.	Piacenza	Cardinal Bishop	Bishop of Palestrina	September 5, 1231	Gregory IX.	Prisoner of Frederick II
Oddone di Tonengo	Montferrat	Cardinal deacon	San Nicola in Carcere	September 18, 1227	Gregory IX.	Prisoner of Frederick II; he was allowed to vote but returned to prison before the election.
Peter of Capua	Amalfi	Cardinal deacon	San Giorgio in Velabro	1219	Honorius III.	He could have died around 1236/41

Procedure

The main factions of cardinals were composed of the Gregorians ( Rinaldo Conti de Segni , Sinibaldo Fieschi and Riccardo Annibaldi ) who supported the election of Romano Bonaventura , who wanted to continue Gregor's enmity as emperor. Frederick II, of course, opposed the choice of Bonaventura because of his "persecution" of the University of Paris as legate in France, his alleged relationship with Queen Blanche of Castile , and his role in the dispute between him and Gregory IX. The majority, including the "moderates of the opposition" (including Giovanni Colonna , Robert Somercotes and Raniero Capocci ), supported Cardinal Goffredo Castiglione, who preferred a policy of understanding with Frederick.

When neither party was able to achieve a two-thirds majority , which was based on the constitution of Alexander III. demanded, the cardinals wrote to Frederick II and asked him to release the two cardinals he was holding prisoner. After the papal election began, Emperor Frederick had the two cardinals brought from Naples to Tivoli . Since it was clear that Cardinal Giacomo da Pecarora would never cooperate, he remained in prison for two more years. Cardinal Oddone di Tonengo, however, was allowed to join the election but had to hold hostages and promise to return to the emperor's custody unless he was elected Pope himself or the deadlock continued. Of course Friedrich did not expect that the Cardinals would elect Oddone di Tonengo as Pope - Friedrich's friends in the conclave could and would prevent that. Nor did he want Cardinal Oddone elected; he revealed his real opinion in a letter he wrote after the battle at Giglio: as legate in England and France, Oddone had conspired against the emperor, had brought together many prelates to bring them to Rome and take part in Gregory's Council; in Genoa he had conspired against those Genoese who were followers of Frederick; he had set up and armed a fleet to transport the prelates to Rome. Cardinal Oddone was a means to get the stalled papal election going again. Frederick II himself urged the cardinals to make a quick decision:

" Like snakes you cling to the earth instead of rising to heaven. Each of you strives for the tiara, and neither of you is willing to leave it to the other. Renounce the spirit of faction and discord! give the College of Cardinals to Christendom by unanimous vote a Pope who will satisfy us and the Empire and whose election is for the common good. "

The emperor returned to his kingdom via Campania in September , leaving the two cardinals in Tivoli under the supervision of Tybboldus de Dragone

The heat and lack of food may have contributed to the death of Cardinal Somercotes, although the other members of the Imperial faction claimed he was poisoned. Cardinal Fieschi's health also deteriorated significantly, causing the future Pope to come closer to death. The rest of the cardinals were not allowed to leave the Septisolium for his funeral, nor were doctors or servants allowed into the building (where a significant amount of excrement had accumulated). Even so, Bonaventure would have died 16 months after the election, which the vivid stories readily attribute to the effects of the election.

Cardinal Castiglione's advanced age and deteriorating health may have contributed to both his papapile status and his ultimate election, making him an ideal compromise candidate. Other polemical sources describe Celestine IV as a "weak, ignorant, old fanatic" who "has no other qualifications". One commenter suggested that the cardinals "escaped by choosing a dying man". Others call him "Orsini's candidate".

aftermath

Celestine IV died on November 10, 1241 , a Sunday 17 days after his election and before his coronation . It is also stated that the cause of death was dysentery , which he contracted in the Septasolium . It has also been speculated that if Celestine IV had lived longer, "most likely would have been kind to the emperor".

According to an old custom, Pope Celestine was buried the day after his death. But even before the funeral, some cardinals fled the city and went to Anagni , the home of Cardinal Rinaldo dei Conti di Segni . It is said (from Matthew Paris ) that only six or seven cardinals remained in the city. Cardinal Colonna was seized by the Roman population who supported the Orsini and imprisoned for his association with King Frederick.

When confronted by a group of begging brothers carrying a message from the Archbishop of York and the Bishop of Lincoln , Frederick II allegedly said, "Who is hindering the welfare of the Church? Not me, but the stubborn pride and greed of the Romans Who can wonder if I can stand up to the English and Roman churches that excommunicate me [as Oddone of England did], defame me, and always pour out money to get me wrong? "Soon after the conclave, hostilities subsided around the Italian peninsula between the Guelphs and Ghibellines, on land and sea, resumed. Although Frederick II was now free to wear down the Lombards without papal opposition Pope, he soon sent a large part of his cavalry and infantry north of the Alps, where the Tartars had begun to seriously threaten his country.

Thus began the longest vacancy in the history of the Roman Catholic Church since the period between Pope Agatho and Pope Leo II (681–682). It took a year and a half before the cardinals could meet again in Anagni (Frederick II was in Rome's possession) and chose a successor for Celestine IV (not least because Frederick II continued to hold Da Pecorara and Oddone hostage) ). In 1243 they elected Cardinal Fieschi as Pope Innocent IV , who breathed new life into the conflict with Friedrich II and after the death of the emperor in 1250 excommunicated his son and successor, Conrad IV . The imperial influence on the papal elections lasted until the papal election 1268-1271 , after which the imperial party (then mainly consisting of older cardinals) in the college of cardinals was almost wiped out.

heritage

Because of the cardinals' inclusion, the election is sometimes referred to as the "first conclave" (even the "first formal papal conclave"), although the formal procedures of the conclave only after the papal election of 1268–1271 in the " Ubi periculum " constitution of Pope Gregory X. (1274). Its provisions were first implemented in the Papstwaghl in January 1276 . In fact, the practice of segregating cardinals can perhaps even be traced back to the papal election in 1216 , when the Magistrate of Perugia introduced it after the death of Pope Innocent III. held on.

Remarks

1. ↑ Gregorovius mistakenly gives November 1st as the date of the election of Celestine IV; he followed the Annales Placentini (Annals of Piacenza ) and the Chronicle of Mailros ; see. the list of contemporary sources on this subject in August Potthast , Regesta pontificum Romanorum I , p. 940
2. ^ Gregorovius, 1906, p. 218
3. ↑ The cardinals were not brought into the "Septizodium", a nymphaeum from the 3rd century, which in 1241 was largely in ruins and which never had any rooms. The New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome (edited by Lawrence Richardson Jr. , Baltimore 1992), pp. 349-350, makes it clear that the "Septizodium" was just an ingenious water feature without rooms or a roof: "The upper floors can only be entered with ladders, and behind this facade there are no signs of a building. " An indication of what is meant is through a signature of the newly created Cardinal Silvius, approx. 1130: Silvius diac. S. Luciae iuxta Heligabalum ( Johann Matthias Watterich , Pontificum Romanorum Vitae II , 1862, p. 185). Heliogabalus , the Roman emperor of the early 3rd century, had built the district of the sun ("Saepta Solis") not far from the Septizodium , at the foot of a street called Clivus Scauri . It was in the Saepta Solis or the Septasolium where the election took place. 1152 a cardinal signs with Radulfus, diaconus card. Sanctae Luciae in Septa solis , and in 1201 Leo sce. Lucie ad Septa solis diac. card. , see: The Septasolium (Saepta Solis)
4. ^ Augustin Demski, Pope Nicholas III. A monograph , Münster 1903, pp. 2-5, Richard Sternfeld , Der Kardinal Johann Gaëtan Orsini (Pope Nikolaus III.) 1244-1277 , Berlin, 1905, pp. 1-7
5. ↑ Ryccardus de S. Germano : "Same date mense Augusti iussu imperatoris vastatores de regno aput Insulam pontine solarati et aput Sanctum Iohannem de Incarico, ut intrent Campaniam congregantur. Cardinales qui in Urbe ad papae electionem convenerant, per senatorem et Romanos apud Septisolium includuntur, ut ad creandum papam inviti procedant. " ] and at San Giovanni Incarico [both in the province of Frosinone ], were gathered to invade Campania . The cardinals, who were assembled in Rome for the papal elections, were enclosed by the senators and the Romans in the Septasolium so that they could, even unwillingly, elect a pope ”; for an evaluation of Richard von San Germano , see Karla Mallette, The Kingdom of Sicily, 1100-1250: A Literary History , Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011), esp. pp. 45-54
6. ↑ David Abulafia, Frederick II: A Medieval Emperor , 1988, p. 350, based on Hampe, 1913
7. ↑ Rotberg, 2001, p. 58
8. ↑ The number 14 comes from Miranda and Eubel, Volume 1, p. 6; Eubel's list of cardinals who actually carried out the election (i.e. who were present at the end of the conclave) includes 13 names but omits Robert Somercotse , who died before the election was finalized; it also includes Peter de Capua , deacon of S. Giorgio, whose participation is uncertain. The number of 12 or 13 comes from the prosopography of the cardinals of that time by Paravicini Bagliani, which excludes Cardinal Peter of Capua. This discrepancy seems to be a question of the difference between “cardinals who were killed at the death of Gregory IX. lived ”and“ cardinals who cast a vote in the final exam ”to be.
9. ↑ [1]
10. ↑ Ryccardus de S. Germano , p. 381, lines 29-30: Imperator ipse apud Criptam ferratam ponit castra sua, et in exterioribus Urbem divastat, et tunc de Gregorio papa quod obierit Romae 21 Augusti, pro certo accepit, de cuius licentia cardinales omnes qui extra Urbem fuerant, pro electione papae facienda ad Urbem redeunt. Gasquet, 1905, p. 199.
11. ↑ Paravicini Bagliani, p. 16; he; writes that although the year of his death is usually given as 1242, he made his last signature on a papal bull in February 1236, and concludes that he is unlikely to die later than 1241. Paravicini Bagliani relies on an argument e silentio and formulates his statement carefully to both include and exclude Cardinal Peter von Capua as an electorate.
12. ↑ [2]
13. ↑ Constantin von Höfler , Albert von Beham and Regesten Pope Innocenz IV. , Stuttgart, 1847, pp. 55–57: “... et Oddone de Todenengo, sancti Nycolai in carcere Tulliano diaconus cardinalis, qui diu legati fuerant in partibus transalpinis et contra honorem nostrum multipliciter machinati, praelatorum turba, quam dinumerare nemo poterat, pro celebrando Romae contra nos concilio e diversis provinciis convenerat, Januam venientes, et conspiratione facta cum Januensibus rebellibus nostris et armata ibidem copia galearum reduci Romam et Januer ducantuci. .. "
14. ↑ Francis Aidan Gasquet incorrectly states that Pecarora was also released, and that Oddone (who had excommunicated the Emperor from England and collected money with which Gregory IX had fought the Emperor) had returned to Frederick's care before the end of the election . See Gasquet, 1905, p. 199. Henderson also claims that the two inmates voted and then went back to custody together. See Henderson, 1894, p. 395 - Henderson is wrong.
15. ↑ Henderson, 1894, p. 386.
16. ↑ Cardinal Bonaventura died on February 21, 1243, ("Necrologio di S. Maria in Trastevere"), in: Pietro Egidi, Necrologi e libri affini della Provincia Romana (Rome 1908), p. 91; there is too much time between the election meeting and his death to suggest that one caused the other. That would be a "post hoc ergo propter hoc" argument.
17. ^ Anonymous, History of Popery, 1838, p. 138
18. ^ Maria Louisa Ambrosini, Mary Willis, The secret archives of the Vatican, 1996, p. 267.
19. ^ Maria R. Bordihn, The Falcon of Palermo , Atlantic Monthly Press, 2005, p. 376.
20. ↑ It is therefore perhaps imprecise to say that Celestine IV " only wore the tiara for sixteen days," cf. Joseph François Michaud , William Robson (transl.), The History of the Crusades, 1881, p. 296
21. ^ Maria R. Bordihn, The Falcon of Palermo , Atlantic Monthly Press, 2005, p. 376. The claim that Celestine died of dysentery acquired in the Septasolium is pure speculation. There is no contemporary source that says this.
22. ↑ Henderson, 1894, p. 385. However, there are numerous instances where popes surprise their followers by showing completely opposite attitudes and guidelines than expected.
23. ^ Luard, Matthi Paris, Volume 4, p. 194.Butler, 1906, p. 290.
24. ↑ Kington-Oliphant, 1862, pp. 304–305, after Matthäus Paris.
25. ↑ Kington-Oliphant, 1862, pp. 305-306.
26. ↑ Butler, 1906, pp. 290-291.
27. ↑ Tobin, Wister, 2003, p. 54.
28. ↑ Watt, 1995, p. 112.
29. ^ Wright, Neil, 1904, p. 525.
30. ↑ Kühne, 1958, p. 89. Pham, 2006, pp. 62–63. Duffy, 2006, p. 153.
31. ↑ Bernardus Guidonis, in Ludovico Antonio Muratori, Rerum Italicarum Scriptores III, p. 486, Perusinis causa electionis papae strictissime arctantibus cardinales - the Perugins very safely included the cardinals for the election of a pope . However, this is the only reference in contemporary literature and its meaning is vague. A. Bo. 1910. Encyclopædia Britannica . P. 828.

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