Pope election 1276

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The papal election of September 1276 is the third election that year and the only one that was not a conclave .

Election of John XXI.

Papal Palace in Viterbo

Pope Hadrian V died in Viterbo on August 18, 1276 after a pontificate of only 38 days without formal consecration. His only official act was the repeal of the bull Ubi periculum on the election of a pope in conclave form.

The number of cardinals present in Viterbo at Hadrian's death is unclear. Simon de Brion was a legate in France and at least Vicedomino de Vicedominis and probably Riccardo Annibaldi were in Rome due to illness. The rest of the cardinals awaited Vicedomini's arrival. He came to Viterbo in early September and died there on the 6th of the month.

The remaining ten (or nine?) Cardinals proceeded with the papal election. There were two factions in the College of Cardinals , Italians and French, neither of whom had enough votes to get their own candidate through. In the end, on the instructions of Giovanni Gaetano Orsini , the cardinals elected the only neutral participant, the Portuguese João Pedro Julião , the Bishop of Frascati . The contemporary chronicles are divided over the day of his choice, it is given dates between September 8th and 17th. September 15th seems most likely.

Due to errors in the numbering of the popes with the name John, Julião took the name John XXI. although there is no Pope John XX. had given. He was solemnly crowned by Orsini on September 20th .

The legend about the elected Pope Gregory XI.

According to a later report, which presumably originated in the church circles of Piacenza and was made known by Franciscan historians, Cardinal Vicedomino de Vicedomini, Bishop of Palestrina and (allegedly) Dean of the College of Cardinals , was elected Pope on September 5th and took the name Gregory XI. in memory of his uncle Gregor X. However, he died hours after his election and before it could be publicized

The story, though repeatedly taken up by well-known authors (including Lorenzo Cardella , Gaetano Moroni or, more recently, Francis Burkle-Young) has several weak points. The contemporary reports know nothing about an elected Pope Gregory XI. His choice is not mentioned in any chronicle and Pope John XXI. does not mention him in his bull with which he announces his election - on the contrary: he names Hadrian V as his direct predecessor. The medieval necrology of the Cathedral of Piacenza only reports: obiit Vicedominus quondam ep. Paenestrinus anno 1276 ... without any reference to his election as Pope.

Wrong, at least doubtful, are other details of the story. Vicedomino was supposedly elected under the influence of his relative, the Cardinal Bishop of Sabina Giovanni Visconti - at that time there was no cardinal of this name, the diocese of Sabina was then, well documented, held by Bertrand de Saint-Martin until 1277 . The statement that Vicedomino was dean of the college (i.e. first in the hierarchy) also seems imprecise - in the bulls of Gregory X, which contain the cardinals, he is always preceded by João Pedro Julião.

All of these facts suggest that the story about an elected Pope Gregory XI. wrong is.

Eligible voters

cardinal origin Rank and cardinal title Raised on by Remarks
João Pedro Julião Portugal Cardinal Bishop of Frascati June 3, 1273 Gregor X. Pope John XXI.
Bertrand de Saint-Martin OSB France Cardinal Bishop of Sabina June 3, 1273 Gregor X.
Simone Paltanieri Monselice near Padua Cardinal priest of Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti December 17, 1261 Urban IV. Cardinal Protopriest
Anchero Pantaleone France Cardinal Priest of Santa Prassede May 1262 Urban IV. Nephew of Urban IV.
Guillaume de Bray France Cardinal Priest of San Marco May 1262 Urban IV.
Riccardo Annibaldi Rome Cardinal Deacon of Sant'Angelo in Pescheria 1238 Gregory IX. Cardinal protodiacon , cardinal protector of the Augustinian order
Giovanni Gaetano Orsini Rome Cardinal Deacon of San Nicola in Carcere May 28, 1244 Innocent IV. Inquisitor General and Cardinal Protector of the Franciscan Order ; later Pope Nicholas III.
Giacomo Savelli Rome Cardinal Deacon of Santa Maria in Cosmedin December 17th Urban IV. later Pope Honorius IV.
Goffredo da Alatri Alatri Cardinal Deacon of San Giorgio in Velabro December 17, 1261 Urban IV.
Matteo Rubeo Orsini Rome Cardinal Deacon of Santa Maria in Portico May 1262 Urban IV. Nephew of Pope Nicholas III.

A cardinal died during the sedis vacancy:

cardinal origin Rank and cardinal title Appointed on by Remarks
Vicedomino de Vicedominis Piacenza Cardinal Bishop of Palestrina June 3, 1273 Gregor X. Nephew of Pope Gregory X .; died on September 6, 1276

A cardinal did not take part in the papal election:

cardinal origin Rank and cardinal title Appointed on by Remarks
Simon de Brion France Cardinal priest of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere December 17, 1261 Urban IV. Legacy in France; later Pope Martin IV.

Remarks

  1. ↑ Annibaldi's participation is uncertain, Eubel and Stapper assume that he has already died, although the necrology of the Church of S. Spirito in Sassia in Rome notes his death on October 4th
  2. ↑ Gregor X.'s real name was Tebaldo Visconti, Vicedomino's name was Guglielmo Visconti, both of which are not related to the Milanese Visconti
  3. ↑ The first mention of this story seems to come from the Minorite chronist Luke Wadding from the 17th century; it was later recorded by Pietro Maria Campi in his Historia ecclesiastica di Piacenza (1659), then by Augustino Oldoini in the 1677 edition of Alfonso Chacón's Vita et res gestæ Pontificum Romanorum et SRE Cardinalium and later by other authors; see. JP Adams Sede Vacante 1276 ( online ) and Stapper, p. 34 Note 1
  4. ↑ "In 1276 Vicedominus, once bishop of Palestrina, passed away from us"

literature

  • Richard Stapper: Pope Johannes XXI .: a monograph (= Church History Studies Volume 4, Issue 4). Munster 1898.
  • Richard Sternfeld : The Cardinal Johann Gaetan Orsini (Pope Nicholas III.) 1244-1277. Berlin 1905, p. 252.
  • Konrad Eubel : Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi. Volume I. Münster 1913.

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