Pope election 1254

The papal election of 1254 (December 11-12) took place after the death of Pope Innocent IV and ended with the election of Rinaldo Conti, who took the name Alexander IV . The election was held in Naples, in the palazzo of the late Petrus de Vinea (Pietro della Vigna), and took only one day.

Friedrich II. And Innocent IV.

Innocent IV, who was elected on June 25, 1243 after more than 19 months of vacancy , took on the most important task of destroying Frederick II, who was led by his predecessor Gregory IX. on March 20, 1239 and had been excommunicated by numerous other cardinals and bishops . He had to flee Rome on June 7, 1244; on July 7th, suffering from fever and dysentery , he reached Genoa . He stayed there until October 1244, at the end of November he crossed the Alps and reached Lyon . There he remained in exile until mid-April 1251. He held a council in Lyon in 1245 , with around 150 bishops (a disappointing number for him), and issued an order to depose Friedrich and his son Conrad . Louis IX of France tried to broker a peace, but was unsuccessful: both sides wanted to see blood. There was even an attempted murder against the life of Frederick, carried out by Tibaldo Francesco, a former Podestà of Parma , who had been promised the Crown of Sicily (Sicily was a papal fiefdom). When Friedrich discovered the plot, 150 people were executed. In May 1246, with the active support of the Pope, Heinrich Raspe IV, Landgrave of Thuringia, was elected a new Roman king against Friedrich. Heinrich Raspe managed to defeat Konrad in the Battle of Frankfurt in August 1246, but his death prevented him from taking advantage of his success. A new king, William of Holland , was elected in October 1247 but was defeated by Conrad in 1250. Friedrich's best friend Pietro della Vigna was accused of trying to murder Friedrich by poison, he was caught and blinded before he could be imprisoned for life (or worse), he committed suicide (1249). Friedrich insisted that the driving force behind the conspiracy was the Pope. During his campaign in Italy, Friedrich died of dysentery on December 13, 1250. He bequeathed the crown of Sicily, his first heir to his son Conrad IV. Driven to get rid of the Hohenstaufen , Pope Innocent offered Richard of Cornwall , brother of King Henry III. of England , both before and after the death of Conrad, and then Charles of Anjou , the brother of Louis IX, the crown of Sicily.

In the next April Innocent began his journey home by sea from Marseilles to Genoa; he spent the summer in Lombardy and arrived in Bologna in mid-October 1251 . He reached Perugia in early November 1251, where he resided until the end of April 1253, and then moved on to Assisi . He left Assisi in early October 1253 and finally reached Rome on October 12th. He stayed in the Lateran Palace until late April 1254 before returning to Assisi for the remainder of the spring. He traveled to Anagni, where he arrived on June 2nd and stayed until October 8th before visiting Montecassino, Capua and Naples. He died in Naples on December 7, 1254

But Innocent IV did not return to Italy in 1251 to enjoy the peace and happiness that resulted from the death of his great enemy. The church was during the war between Friedrich and Gregory IX. and then Friedrich and Innocent IV was badly damaged.

Innocent, Konrad and Manfred

Innocent had a great task ahead of him to recapture the land and property of the Church and to reinvigorate the hierarchy in Lombardy, Tuscany, and the Kingdom of Naples. In view of the resistance of Frederick's sons, it had to be carried on. When Innocent arrived in Bologna, Conrad, after arranging his business in Germany, crossed the Brenner Pass , stopped in Verona and then in Goito , where he met the imperial vicars for Italy. The affairs of Lombardy have been put in order for the moment. Whatever Innocent achieved during his tour of Lombardy was undone. Konrad then took the ship and arrived in Siponto in January 1252 . A court day was held at Frederick's Foggia residence in February 1252 , where he worked to please the people, win the barons and do what he could to establish friendly relations with the universities of Naples and Salerno . The deal was particularly delicate as he had to deal with his younger brother Manfred , who was Frederick's Regent of the Kingdom of Sicily and was still the powerful Prince of Taranto .

In October 1253, Naples fell to Conrad. It was the last Hohenstaufen property that opposed the brothers. But distrust between brothers caused Konrad to take almost everything away from Manfred except for the Principality of Taranto, which had been given to him by his father, the Emperor Friedrich. However, Konrad died suddenly of malaria on May 21, 1254 . On October 8th, Pope Innocent set out with a papal army under his nephew, Cardinal Guglielmo Fieschi, to put an end to Manfred and to end the Staufer threat to the papacy once and for all. On October 23, 1254, Innocent, who was in Capua at the time, freed Amalfi from his traditional obedience to the kings of Sicily and took it directly into his own sphere of power. This was a direct threat to Manfred and his control over the kingdom. On October 26th, Manfred fled Teano , whose loyalty was in doubt, and to his loyal Saracens in the city of Lucera . In Lucera he had access to the imperial treasury so that he could pay for his troops. From Lucera he led an army consisting mainly of Germans (and deserters from the papal army) against the papal army. The armies met in Foggia on December 2nd and the papal army was decisively defeated. 4,000 papal mercenaries were killed and Cardinal Guglielmo fled to Naples. Five days after the battle, on the feast of St. Andrew, on December 7th, around the time of Vespers, Innocent IV himself died. He and the papal curia had stayed in Naples. The Pope occupied the palazzo that once belonged to the secretary of Frederick II, Pietro della Vigna. The only evidence of the cause of his death comes from Matthew Paris, who says that on the road from Capua to Naples the Pope suffered a sudden and sharp attack of pleurisy , which may have had a number of causes. What is remarkable for the times is that poison is not mentioned. On December 8th, the body was buried in the Cathedral of Naples .

choice

The first to respond to the Foggia disaster was the Podestà of the city of Naples, Beretholinus Tavernerius, a citizen of Parma , who immediately closed the city gates. It is said that he did this to prevent the cardinals from leaving the city and making choices elsewhere. This was not made out of something like urban pride. He knew Manfred would likely try to take advantage of his unexpected victory and that Naples would be the main target. It needed a Pope around whom the troops could rally, from whom the troops could be paid, whose troops would defend Naples as long as the Pope and the Roman Curia were present. Closing the gates was not a step leading to the idea of ​​a conclave , it was just a wise and cautious measure to defend everyone's interests by getting a Pope as soon as possible. The remains of the papal army in Ariano were told that the Pope was dead. Some cardinals (perhaps Ottobono Fieschi, whose family had much to lose but also had much to gain) reported that the legate, Cardinal Guglielmo Fieschi, should join them in electing a Pope. They left Ariano as quickly as possible and made their way to Naples. There they were brought to the tomb of Pope Innocent and later to the palazzo, where they were locked up with the rest of the cardinals. Holy Spirit mass was sung on Friday morning December 11th and the ten cardinals who were in Naples sat down to negotiate. The next morning, December 12th, around the third hour of the day, they agreed on their elder Cardinal Bishop Rinaldo Conti, who chose the name Alexander IV . He was likely crowned on Sunday, December 20, 1254 . According to the eyewitness Nikolaus von Calvi, the Sedis vacancy lasted only five days.

But there is also an alternative story. It comes from Salimbene of Parma , O. Min., Who was a personal friend and sometimes a guest of Cardinal Ottaviano Fieschi. According to Fra Salimbene, there was an immediate stalemate in the election. It is not unlikely. But Fra Salimbene claims that the cardinals chose a rare option, that of compromise. He also says that the papal mantle was placed on Cardinal Conti's shoulders by Cardinal Ottaviano Fieschi; this is unusual since the privilege of investing the new Pope with the mantle belongs to the oldest cardinal deacon who was not Cardinal Ottaviano. Perhaps Fra Salimbene intends to suggest that Cardinal Ottaviano was the one who took the path of compromise. But one can also imagine that this story by Fra Salimbene comes from a cardinal visit to a monastic refectory in Parma. The account of Nikolaus von Calvi, who was an eyewitness, is not taken into account in the narrative. It also runs counter to Pope Alexander IV's “Quia fragilis” election manifesto, suggesting that the problem was getting him to consent to the papacy. In truth, it was a dangerous position.

Cardinals

Pope Innocent IV had appointed 15 cardinals, six died before him, three cardinals, who had been appointed by previous popes, were still alive.

cardinal	origin	rank	Title (church)	Appointed on	by	Remarks
Rinaldo Conti	Jenne	Cardinal Bishop	Bishop of Ostia and Velletri	September 18, 1227	Gregory IX.	Pope Alexander IV (1254–1261)
István Báncsa	Hungary	Cardinal Bishop	Bishop of Palestrina	May 28, 1244	Innocent IV.
John of Toledo	England	Cardinal priest	San Lorenzo in Lucina	May 28, 1244	Innocent IV.	A supporter of Henry III. from England; worked in the Roman Curia for 60 years.
Hugo of Saint-Cher OP	Vienne (Isere)	Cardinal priest	Santa Sabina	May 28, 1244	Innocent IV.	Legacy in Germany 1253
Gil Torres	Spain	Cardinal deacon	Santi Cosma e Damiano	December 1216	Honorius III.	He died in 1254 or 1255
Riccardo Annibaldi	Rome	Cardinal deacon	Sant'Angelo in Pescheria	1237	Gregory IX.	Rector of Campagna e Marittima; Nephew of Cardinal Rinaldo Conti
Ottaviano Ubaldini	Florence	Cardinal deacon	Santa Maria in Via Lata	May 28, 1244	Innocent IV.	Archbishop of Bologna (1240-1244), Cardinal (1244-1273); Legate in Lombardy and Romagna 1247–1251.
Giovanni Gaetano Orsini	Rome	Cardinal deacon	San Nicola in Carcere	May 28, 1244	Innocent IV.	later Pope Nicholas III. (1277-1280)
Guglielmo Fieschi	Genoa	Cardinal deacon	Sant'Eustachio	May 28, 1244	Innocent IV.	Nephew of Innocent IV, legate in Sicily against King Manfred, who defeated him in Foggia on December 2, 1254.
Ottobono Fieschi	Genoa	Cardinal deacon	Sant'Adriano al Foro	December 1251	Innocent IV.

Not participating in the papal election:

cardinal	origin	rank	Title (church)	Appointed on	by	Remarks
Odo of Châteauroux , O.Cist.	Archdiocese of Bourges	Cardinal Bishop	Bishop of Tusculum (Frascati)	May 28, 1244	Innocent IV.	He was with Louis IX. on a crusade; the king returned on July 11, 1254.
Pietro Capocci	Rome	Cardinal deacon	San Giorgio in Velabro	May 28, 1244	Innocent IV.	Legacy in Germany; it was sent to the German princes in a letter from Innocent dated April 17, 1254

aftermath

Cardinal Guglielmo Fieschi's career seems to have ended. He was replaced as a legacy by Cardinal Ottavio Ubaldini, who was appointed vicar papal on January 16, 1255 in Calabria and Sicily. Manfred's career as regent for his brother's young son, Konradin , flourished.

After the victory at Foggia he conquered or reincorporated into his Kingdom of Sicily Barletta, Venusia, Acherunta, Rapolla, Amalfi, Trani and Bari. After the victory in Foggia, he conquered or reintegrated into his kingdom of Sicily Barletta, Venusia, Acherunta, Rapolla, Amalfi, Trani and Bari. Manfred's initial impulse was to avoid contact with the papal court so that his initiative would not be seen as a sign of weakness in the city of Naples and throughout the Kingdom of Sicily. He defied the advice of Thomas Acerno and Richard Filangeli to open negotiations for peace. The situation changed, however, when a bishop from the papal court arrived to ask Manfred to appear before the Curia until February 2, 1255, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord , to face charges of the murder of Burrellus of Anglono and to face the injustice of the expulsion of the papal legate (Cardinal Guglielmo Fieschi) and the papal army from Apulia. The canonical period in which the summons had to be answered makes it clear that shortly after his coronation (December 20, 1254) Pope Alexander IV made the decision to persecute Manfred instead of seeking peace with him. Manfred replied in writing, apologizing on the grounds that it was for his nephew, and not contrary to the Roman Church, that he had done what was charged. He continued to refuse to send personal ambassadors to the Pope and he certainly had no intention of appearing in person in Naples. That would be suicidal - a fact that is a valid response to the canonical demand for personal appearance. However, a papal notary who was friendly to Manfred, Master Jordanus of Terracina, recommended sending ambassadors anyway. Eventually Manfred gave in and sent ambassadors to Naples, but when they got to the papal court they found that the Pope had already appointed Cardinal Ubaldini as legate and that Ubaldini had started to raise an army. Obviously, peace was not part of papal politics and the judicial cleansing of the crimes was just a pretext. By choosing the course of confrontation with Manfred rather than reconciliation, Pope Alexander IV had decided to continue the active policy of Innocent IV, which was set in motion when he returned to Italy in 1251, to completely remove the Hohenstaufen in Italy to exterminate. This policy would have consequences for the next thirty years and more. The resistance against Konrad, then against Manfred, then against Konradin, ended only in 1268, and then only at the price of Angevinen Karl, the brother of Ludwig IX. of France to rule the Kingdom of Naples.

Remarks

1. ^ Ferdinand Gregorovius , History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages, Volume 5, Part 1 (London 1906), pp. 244-255. Karl Joseph von Hefele , Histoire des conciles (French translation by H. Leclerq of the 2nd and revised German edition Conciliengeschichte ) Volume V, Part 2 (Paris 1913), pp. 1612–1694.
2. ^ Ferdinand Gregorovius, History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages, Volume 5, Part 1 (London 1906), pp. 255-272.
3. ↑ Zeller, pp. 11-16.
4. ↑ Zeller, p. 54.
5. ↑ Johann Friedrich Böhmer , Regesta chronologico-diplomatica regum atque imperatorum ... 911-1313 (Frankfurt am Main 1831), pp. 208-209.
6. ↑ Zeller, pp. 39–47. Ficker, pp. 835-836.
7. ↑ Nikolaus von Jamsilla, pp. 522-527
8. ↑ Matthäus Paris , Henry Richards Luard (ed.), Matthaei Parisiensis, Monachi Sancti Albani, Chronica Majora Volume IV. AD 1248 to AD 1258 (London: Longman 1880), pp. 430–431.
9. ↑ Nikolaus von Calv, "Vita Innocentii papae IV," in Lodovico Antonio Muratori , Rerum Italicarum Scriptores Volume 3, Part 1, p. 592ξ. Other sources are cited by August Potthast in: Regesta pontificum Romanorum Volume 2 (Berlin 1885), p. 1283.
10. ↑ Nikolaus von Calvi, "Vita Innocentii papae IV" in: Lodovico Antonio Muratori, Rerum Italicarum Scriptores Volume 3 Part 1, p. 592ξ: "ubi etiam alios incluserunt Cardinals".
11. ↑ Nicholas of Calvi, ibid .
12. ^ Potthast, Regesta pontificum Romanorum Volume 2, p. 1286.
13. ↑ Fra Salimbene
14. ↑ Et quia dominus Bertholinus Tavernerius de Parma erat tunc temporis Neapolitanus Potestas, clausit civitatem, et retinuit cardinales, ne possent ire quoquam, sed sine mora eligerent Papam; et quia per voces concordare non poterant, elegerunt per compromissum . Et dominus Octavianus diaconus cardinalis imposuit mantum meliori homini de curia, ut dixit, scilicet domino Raynaldo episcopo ostiensi; et dictus est Papa Alexander quartus, circa Nativitatem Domini factus, ita quod in festo sancti Thomae Cantuariensis Ferrariae rumores audivimus.
15. ↑ Aurelio Tomassetti (ed.), Bullarum, Diplomatum, et Privilegiorum sanctorum Romanorum Pontificum Taurensis editio Volume 3 (Turin 1858), pp. 593-594: “... Cumque, ut moris est, Spiritus Sancti postulato suffragio, singulorum vota diligenter exquisite fuissent, io nos demum suum converterunt intuitum, direxerunt animos et conceptus expressere, ac firmavere consensus, praeeligentes Indignitatem Nostram ad exequendam tantae officium dignitatis cum nostrorum parvitatem meritorum deceret subesse potius, quam tanto culmini praesidere .... "
16. ↑ Richard Otto Zöpffel , The papal elections (Göttingen 1870), pp 119-120.
17. ↑ Agostino Paravacini-Bagliani, Cardinali di Curia e 'familiae' cardializie dal 1227 al 1254 I (Padua, 1972), pp. 41-53.
18. ^ S. Andreotta, "La famiglia di Alessandro IV e l'abbazia di Subiaco," Atti e Memorie della Società Tiburtina di Storia ed Arte 35 (1962) pp 63-126; 36 (1963) pp. 5-87.
19. ^ Hermann Grauert, "Master Johann von Toledo," Stizungsberichte the philosophical-philological and historical class. Royal bayer. Academy of Sciences 1901 (Munich 1902) pp. 111–325.
20. ↑ Konrad Eubel , p. 5 .; Agostino Paravicini Bagliani, Cardinali di curia e "familiae" cardinalizie. Dal 1227 al 1254 , Volume 1, p. 16, writes that he is mentioned as dead on August 6, 1255.
21. ↑ Augustin Theiner , Codex diplomaticus dominii temporalis S. Sedis Volume 1 (Rome 1861), p. 116, no. 203 (Anagni, October 2, 1243); Francis Roth, OESA, "Il Cardinale Riccardo Annibaldi, Primo Prottetore dell 'Ordine Agostiniano," Augustiniana 2 (1952) pp 26-60.
22. ↑ Guido Levi, "Il Cardinale Ottaviano degli Ubaldini, secondo il suo carteggio ed altri documenti," Archivio della Società Romana di storia patria 14 (1891), pp. 231-303.
23. ^ E. Berger, Registres d'Innocent IV 3 (Paris 1897), No. 8062, 8316-8344 (September 2-17, 1254); No. 8172 (October 23, 1254); No. 8190, 8195, 8201-8202 (November 9-13, 1254).
24. ↑ Matthäus Paris, Chronica majora , Volume 5, p. 453 (edition H. Luard).
25. ↑ Augustin Theiner (ed.), Caesaris SRE Cardinalis Baronii Annales Ecclesiastici 21 (Bar-le-Duc 1870), on the year 1254, no. 34, p. 463; E. Berger (Ed.), Registres d 'Innocent IV , No. 7762-7774.
26. ^ Augustin Theiner (ed.), Caesaris SRE Cardinalis Baronii Annales Ecclesiastici Volume 21 (Bar-le-Duc 1870), on the year 1255, p. 481.
27. ↑ Nicolas de Jamsilla, Chronica , in Ludovico Antonio Muratori, Rerum Scriptores Italicarum Volume 8 (Milan 1726), pp 543-547. Bartolommeo Capasso, Historia diplomatica Regni Siciliae inde from anno 1250 ad annum 1266 (Naples 1874), pp. 96–97.
28. ↑ Alexander IV Enciclopedia dei Papi

literature

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