[December 3] Anastasius IV, pope of Rome

Birth Name: Corrado Demetri della Suburra
Parents: Benedictus de Suburra
Date of Birth: circa 1073
Predecessor: Eugene III

Reign: 1153 – 1154
Brief: A Roman clerk, Corrado became a cardinal-priest under Pope Paschall II around 114 and was promoted to bishop under Honorius II. During the double-election of 1130, Corrado fought against Anaclectus II and stayed loyal to Pope Innocent II, serving as his vicar in Italy after the pope had fled to France. By the time he was elected to the pontificate in 1153, he was the dean of the College of Cardinals and one of its oldest members. As Pope Anastasius IV, the man resolved a number of disputes with the Holy Roman Empire and the See of York in England. But the pope died only eighteen months after his nomination, being succeeded by Pope Adrian IV in 1154.
Date of Death: 3 December 1154

Successor: Adrian IV

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Diocletian, emperor of Rome (311)
• Vasili III, grand prince of Moscow (1533)

[November 10] St. Leo I, pope of Rome

Surnamed: "The Great"
Born: circa 391
Predecessor: Sixtus III

Reign: 440 – 461
Brief: A Tuscan by birth, Leo served as a deacon of the church from around 431 and was highly praised by his contemporaries. When Pope Sixtus III died in 440, Leo was unanimously elected to succeed him, a rather rare occurrence. Almost at once, Leo reasserted the authority of the Papacy over the various bishops in Italy, obtaining a decree from Emperor Valentinian III that recognized the primacy of the Pope. He then worked to assert his authority over the other patriarchates including pressuring Alexandria to recognize his supremacy, and working to suppress the growing power of the patriarchate of Contantinople. At the Council of Chalcedon in 451, Leo decisively confirmed his power over his peers through his Tome, which had originally been written for the Second Council of Ephesus in 449 but was not read at that time. Anticipating the breakup of the Western Empire, Leo worked diligently to assert the power of the pope in the West in the hope that it may succeed the Empire when it fell. In 452, Leo accompanied two royal dignitaries to confront Attila the Hun who was invading Italy. While the specifics are unknown, Attilla turned his armies away. Four years later, the Vandals successfully sacked Rome, though Leo helped reduce the total damage. Leo died in 461 leaving a legacy of Papal power-building for future popes to work from and enhance.

Date of Death: 10 November 461
Successor: Hilarius

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Celestine IV, pope of Rome (1241)
• Wladyslaw III, king of Poland (1444)
• Paul III, pope of Rome (1549)
• Michael, king of Poland (1673)

[October 7] St. Mark, pope of Rome

Parents: Priscus, a Roman citizen
Predecessor: Sylvester I

Reign: 336
Brief: A little known pope of the era of Emperor Constantine the Great, Saint Mark is often confused with the evangelist and colleague of St. Peter. While not much can be said of his nine-month reign as pope, it is said that the early lists of bishops and martyrs were compiled during his pontificate. The Bishop of Ostia, a bishopric within Rome, was granted the power to consecrate popes during his reign, and that bishop later became synonymous with the Dean of the College of Cardinals. He is also said to have founded the Basilica of San Marco in Rome and a cemetery church over the Catacomb of Balbina, outside of Rome, where he was eventually buried after dying of natural causes.

Date of Death: 7 October 336

Successor: Julius I

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Charles III, king of France (929)
• Victor Amadeus I, duke of Savoy (1637)
• Guru Gobind Singh, Sikh Guru (1708)

[September 16] Clement VII, antipope of Rome

True Name: Robert
Parents: Amadeus III, count of Geneva, and Mathilde d'Auvergne
House: Geneva
Born: 1342
Predecessor: Urban VI

Reign: 1378 – 1394
Brief: Elected by the French cardinals in opposition to Pope Urban VI, Clement VII became the first antipope of the Western Schism, representing the Avignon Papacy. Experienced in combat from leading troops in the War of the Eight Saints, Clement never wished for an end to the schism, resorting to simony and extortion to fund his court at Avignon. In addition to his role as pope, Clement (as Robert) acted as the last count of Geneva of the main dynasty from 1392 to 1394, inheriting the title from his elder brother Peter. 

Date of Death: 16 September 1394

Successor: Benedict XIII

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Severus II, emperor of Rome (307)
• Valentine, pope of Rome (827)
• Victor III, pope of Rome (1087)
• John IV, duke of Brittany (1345)
• Charles V, king of France (1380)
• James II & VII, king of England & Scotland (1701)
• Quang Trung, emperor of Viet Nam (1792)
• Louis XVIII, king of France (1824)

[August 20] Pius VII, pope of Rome

Birth Name: Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti
Parents: Scipione Chiaramonti and Giovanna
Date of Birth: 14 August 1742
Predecessor: Pius VI
Reign: 1800 – 1823
Summary: Born to a noble Italian family, Barnaba joined the Benedictine Order in 1756 in Cesena, where he served the Abbey of St. Maria del Monte under the name Gregory. He was promoted to a teacher and travelled between Parma and Rome until he eventually was ordained a priest in 1765. When his relative, Giovanni Angelo Braschi, became Pope Pius VI in 1775, life became much better for Gregory. The very next year, he became an honorary abbot at the school he was teaching at, Sant'Anselmo in Rome. Gregory was chastised by his Benedictine brothers for nepotism but he kept the titles and in 1782 became bishop of Tivoli. Three years later, he was made a cardinal of the Basilica of St. Callistus, and was also made the bishop of Imola. When the French Revolutionary Army invaded northern Italy in 1797, Gregory suggested acceptance and caution toward the French, arguing that democracy and Catholicism did not have to be enemies. Pius VI died in August 1799 and the papal conclave was split for months deciding between three candidates: a French candidate, an Austrian candidate, and a neutral candidate—Gregory. In March, Gregory finally was elected to the papal seat and took the name Pius VII, in honor of his relative and predecessor, Pius VI.

Pius VII immediately elevated the cleric Ercole Consalvi to the post of Cardinal Secretary of State and sent him to France to negotiate terms between the Papal States and the French Republic. This established a long policy of cooperation with the French, including support of the French blockade against Britain. During the United States' war with the Barbary Pirates from 1801 to 1805, Pius wholeheartedly supported the U.S. and stated that it "had done more for the cause of Christianity than the most powerful nations of Christendom have done for ages." Although Pius was responsible for crowning Napeolon emperor of the French in 1804, by 1809, tensions between France and the Papacy had once again reached a critical state. In that year, France annexed central Italy, forcing Pius into exile to Savona when he complained but accomplished little for four years. In 1813, he signed the Concordate of Fontainebleau, which allowed the release of many of his cardinals, including Consalvi, who immediately conspired with the pope to renounce the treaty that had just freed him. The French began arresting recently-released cardinals in early 1814 but Napoleon's abdication in April of that year ended any attack on the Papacy by the French. Little of importance occurred in his finals years, but in 1816, Pius VII was responsible for establishing the primacy of Ecumenical Councils over Papal decrees. Pius died in 1823 and was succeeded by Leo XII after a short interregnum.
Date of Death: 20 August 1823
Successor: Leo XII

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• John XIV, pope of Rome (984)
• Pius X, pope of Rome (1914)

[August 18] Alexander VI, pope of Rome

Birth Name: Roderic Llançol i de Borja
Parents: Jofré Llançol i Escrivà and Isabel de Borja y Cavanilles
Date of Birth: 1 January 1431
House: Borja
Predecessor: Innocent VIII
Reign: 1492 – 1503
Summary: Few popes of Rome deserve a television series named after them, yet thus is the legacy and fame of Rodrigo Borja, the contentious cleric that became Pope Alexander VI at the time when Spain was discovering the New World. He was born in a Catalan town in the Kingdom of Valencia, in Spain. His mother was named Borja, but Rodrigo took the name when his uncle, Alonso de Borja, became Pope Calixtus III. Rodrigo studied at Bologna where he became a doctor of law. Under his uncle's support, he became a deacon and then a cardinal-deacon at San Nicola in Carcere in 1456. The very next year, his uncle made him Vice Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church, a nepotistic appointment not unusual in the Renaissance era. Ten years later, he was ordained a priest and consecrated a bishop, soon after becoming the Cardinal-Bishop of Albano. As a member of the Roman Curia, Rodrigo was an apt administrator with significant wealth and influence in Rome and within the Catholic Church. Throughout this time, Rodrigo was also serving as bishop of Valencia since 1458. In 1492, Pope Innocent VIII elevated the position to a metropolitan archbishopric, which Rodrigo continued to hold in his name throughout his papacy. When Innocent died in Jult 1492, the campaign to become the next pope began, with Rodrigo, Ascanio Sforza, and Guiliano della Roverese competing for the papal seat. Despite numerous rumors of simony on the part of Rodrigo, all three candidates were guilty of buying votes and the Borja faction was leading from the start of the election. Rodrigo Borja won in the end and took the name Alexander VI, skipping the name Alexander V as the canonists had yet to decide on the legitimacy of that pope (Alexander V was later declared an antipope).

Soon after becoming pope, Alexander granted his young sons various titles within Europe. His eldest, Cesare, became regent for Alexander in Valencia; Giovanni became the Duke of Gandia, a Borja hereditary title; for Gioffre, Alexander hoped to carve out a section of the Papal States or Naples for him. This last move put Alexander at odds with Ferrante I, king of Naples, whom he went to war with in 1493. Naples allied with Florence, Milan, and Venice, while the Papacy was allied with the Spanish states. For their aide, Castile was granted the vast majority of the New World in the papal bull Inter Caetera.  Alexander sought the aide of France in his Neapolitan war. Yet everything switched in mid-1493 when Alexander made peace with Naples by marrying Gioffre to the Neapolitan princess Sancha. To win over the Roman Curia, Alexander created 12 new cardinals, including his own son Cesare. When King Ferrante died in 1494, King Charles VIII of France declared himself the king of Naples and prepared for war. When the French army was marching toward Rome, Alexander declared his alliance with Naples and its legitimate king, Alfonso II, then everything began to fall apart. Parts of the Papal States and allies to Rome fled from France or were quickly captured. When Charles entered Rome on the last day of 1494, Alexander managed to win the day by granting Charles' confessor a cardinal's hat. Charles captured Naples within two months. As Charles languished in Naples, trying to consolidate his power, the rest of Europe responded. A Holy League was established between the Papacy, the Holy Roman Empire, Venice, Spain, and Milan. It's one goal was to expel the French from Italy. Only a short battle was fought before Charles was allowed to flee to France. Ferrante's grandson, Ferrante II, was installed as king soon after. The Borja's suffered many tragedies during their time in power, and the first of those was the murder of Giovanni, duke of Gandia, whose body was found in the Tiber in 1497 under suspicious circumstances. Though Cesare was later accused, no evidence has ever been found naming the murderer. Cesare soon after resigned his cardinalate and acted as ambassador to France during King Louis XII's annulment, from which he received the duchy of Valentinois. He became the gonfaloniere—standard bearer—of the Papacy and, in 1499, led a charge to centralize northern Italy under Papal Rule with French assistance. Unfortunately, he was defeated in 1500 when Milan reorganized and managed to expel France from the peninsula. 1500 was a jubilee year and thousands of people from across Europe flocked to Rome to purchase indulgences to help build Saint Peter's Basilica and fund Cesare's wars in the north. Twelve new cardinals were again appointed, and with the extra revenue, Cesare went out to centralize Central Italy. In 1501, Alexander created the Dukedom of Romagna for his eldest son. That same year, as France and Spain invaded Naples, Alexander led an army to defeat a rival family, leaving his daughter on the papal seat as his regent. In 1502 and 1503, Alexander, Cesare, and his brother Gioffre, defeated the Orsini and Colonna factions and finally centralized most of Italy under Borja rule. In August 1503, Cesare was preparing to invade Naples when he and his father became deathly kill. Cesare recovered but Pope Alexander VI died at the age of 72. The short-lived Pope Pius III succeeded Alexander one month later, and then in turn was succeeded by Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere under the name Julius II.
Date of Death: 18 August 1503
Successor: Pius III

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Decentius, usurper of Rome (353)
• Sixtus III, pope of Rome (440)
• Theodore II, emperor of Nicaea (1258)
• Adrian V, pope of Rome (1276)
• Paul IV, pope of Rome (1559)
• Wanli, emperor of China (1620)
• Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (1765)

[July 25] Innocent VIII, pope of Rome

True Name: Giovanni Battista Cybo
Parents: Arano Cybo and Teodorina de Mari
Date of Birth: 1432
Predecessor: Sixtus IV
Reign: 1484 – 1492
Summary: A Genoan of Greek ancestry, he was born to a Roman senatorial family and raised in the Neapolitan court. He studied at Padua and in Rome, pursuing a clerical life. While in Rome, he fell into the retinue of Cardinal Calandnini, the half-brother of the recently-deceased Pope Nicholas V. By the late 1460s, Giovanni was the bishop of Savona. Giuliano della Rovere supported his bid to become a cardinal in 1473 by Pope Sixtus IV. Giovanni's early life was dominated by the courts of Rome and papal intrigues, and so naturally, when he was elected to the papal seat on 29 August 1484 as Pope Innocent VIII, the drama of his earlier years followed him into his papacy. The papal conclave that elected him was split between factions, and gangs rioted in the streets in the disorder. Cardinal della Roverre sought the coveted seat but not enough cardinals would elect him, so he decided to support Giovanni, a pliable leader that he felt he could control.

Almost immediately after his election, Innocent VIII declared a crusade against the infidels. Little came of this call for crusade, and by the end of his reign, he was openly supporting Ottoman Sultan Bayazid II by detaining his brother and rival, Cem. Starvation, famine, and drought in Germany convinced Innocent that witchcraft was occurring in the Holy Roman Empire. In effect, the witches were causing the later-known weather period known as the Little Ice Age. He began a massive campaign to rid Germany of witches and installed Heinrich Kramer and Jacobus Sprenger to lead the persecution. In 1487, fears of Muslim and Jewish uprisings in Spain led to Innocent naming Tomas de Torquemada as Grand Inquisitor of Spain. Innocent also called a crusade against the Waldensian sect, offering indulgences to any would join in the fight. In 1486, Innocent excommunicated King Ferran I of Naples and offered the throne to King Charles VIII of France, thereby starting a war which would not end until two years into the reign of his successor, Alexander VI. One of his few victories occured during the last months of his life. Due in part from his encouragement, the Kingdom of Grenada, the last Muslim stronghold in Western Europe, fell in January 1492. In appreciation for the victory, Innocent named Ferdinand II of Arágon and Isabella I of Castile "Catholic Majesties", a title many still grand them today. Giovanni Battista Cybo died on 25 July 1492 after an attempted blood transfusion from three young male children who all died in the process. He was succeeded after a short but contentious interregnum by Roderic Llançol i de Borja, who took the name Alexander VI. Innocent left behind two illegitimate children who were born prior to him taking his vows. His eldest son was married to Maddalena de Medici in exchange for a cardinal's hat to Giovanni de Medici, who would one day become Pope Leo X. The heretical preacher Savonarola chastised Innocent for his greed and ambition.
Date of Death: 25 July 1492
Successor: Alexander VI

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Constantius I Chlorus, emperor of Rome (306)
• Martin I, king of Sicily (1409)

[July 13] John III, pope of Rome

True Name: Catelinus

Parents: Anastasius

Predecessor: Pelagius I
Reign: 561 – 574
Summary: The man named Catelinus was probably raised from a distinguished Roman family in the years of the Byzantine occupation of Rome. His father, Anastasius, was likely a Roman senator and Catelinus may have been involved in the translation of texts from the Greek Fathers of Christianity which Pope Pelagius I had begun during his tenure. Catelinus became pope sometime in 561 and took the regnal name John III.

The death of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in 565 set about a course of action in Rome that would not cease for 250 years. Justinian's successor would look closer to home rather than occupy the historic but otherwise troublesome city of Rome. Thus, without Roman protection, in 568 the Lombards invaded the city. Rome became under constant siege by the Lombards, who sought to conquer the entire Italian Peninsula. The Lombards were Arian Christians and John III feared that their victory would destroy Roman Catholicism in Italy. With the Roman governor trapped in Ravenna unable to halt the Lombard advance, John took it upon himself to go to Naples in the south and petition the southern governor, Narses, to help. Narses agreed and returned with John to Rome. Unfortunately, the public hated Narses and when John brought him to Rome, the public turned against him as well. Unable to live in the city, John fled to the Via Appia and its catacombs outside of Rome where he carried out his papal duties largely in seclusion. While there, he mediated between two condemned bishops who the king of Burgundy supported but the public did not. John decided in favor of the bishops and sent them back to their sees. John III died soon after and was succeeded by Benedict I after an eleven-month delay in confirming the new pope due to poor communication with Constantinople.

Date of Death: 13 July 574
Successor: Benedict I

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Leo VII, pope of Rome (939)
• Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (1024)
• Jianwen, emperor of China (1402)
• Henry IX, pretender to England & Scotland (1807)

[June 22] Innocent V, pope of Rome

True Name: Pierre de Tarentaise

Date of Birth: circa 1225

Predecessor: Gregory X

Reign: 1276

Summary: A little-known pope of Rome, Pierre was born in Savoy or in La Salle around 1225. In either case, his overlord was the Holy Roman Emperor in the capacity of the King of Arles. Early in life, he joined the Dominican Order where he earned renown as a preacher. During his early years, he brushed shoulders with Thomas Aquinas and Albertus Magnus who together reorganized the Dominican Order. At the University of Paris, he became a doctor famosissimus, a leading theologian. Pope Clement IV requested that Pierre preach the crusade beginning in 1268 and he did so with a passion. By 1273, Pierre had risen to the rank of cardinal-bishop of Ostia which he held until his papal election. When Pope Gregory X died in 1275, the papal conclave elected Pierre as the first Dominican pope, electing him on the first round of balloting. Pierre took the regnal title Innocent V.

Innocent reigned for only six months. During the first month of his reign, Innocent permitted the coronation of Rudolf of Habsburg as the king of Germany, thereby ending the interregnum in the Holy Roman Empire. He was a staunch supporter of a reunification with the Eastern Orthodox Church and he sent legates to Emperor Michael VIII in Constantinople in response to the decisions made at the Second Council of Lyons. Unfortunately, Innocent died in Rome before the legates ever returned. The pope was the author of several philosophical and theological works, and addressed numerous issues of canon law. His death in June 1276 was caused by an unknown illness. The next papal conclave elected Ottobuono de' Fieschi as Pope Adrian V, another pope who reigned for only a few months. It was a number of years before longer-reigning popes took control over the Papacy. Innocent V was beatified in 1898 and his memorial day is celebrated on June 22nd.

Date of Death: 22 June 1276

Successor: Adrian V

[May 1] St. Pius V, pope of Rome

True Name: Antonio Ghislieri

Date of Birth: 17 January 1504

Predecessor: Pius IV

Reign: 1566 – 1572

Summary: Antonio Ghislieri was destined for the papal chair. His devotion to Catholicism during the years of the Protestant Reformation was incomparable and his early involvement in the Dominican Order ensured his fastness to doctrine and dogma. Antonio was born in the Duchy of Milan and entered the Order at fourteen under the name Michele. He was passed around monasteries for many years before becoming a priest in 1528 at Genoa. He then lectured at Pavia for sixteen years, supporting the Papacy and denouncing Martin Luther's heresy. He was made Inquisitor a few years later and eventually obtained the title of Supreme Inquisitor of the Catholic Church. Pope Paul IV made Antionio a bishop and cardinal but Pope Pius IV removed Antonio from his inquisitorial duties due to an argument on doctrine. That did not stop Antonio from being elected as Pius's replacement in 1566 under the name Pope Pius V. He would prove to be a truly pious pope.


His first move once secured in the papal seat was the return the Church and Rome to its moral basis. He forced clergy to live at their churches and monasteries, he taxed inns, and he expelled prostitutes from Rome. He emphasized the liturgy and even promulgated a standardized Holy Mass in 1570. This mass was used continuously until 1969 when Pope Paul VI permitted vernacular masses. It is still used in more traditional churches today. In politics, Pius V allied with the French monarchy in suppressing the Huguenot movement, violently when necessary. He also excommunicated Elizabeth I in England, encouraging her people to rise up and rebel. At the same time, Pius supported the pretensions of Mary, Queen of Scots, in her claim to the English throne. Elizabeth replied to these threats by beginning a ruthless persecution on England's Catholic population which had previously been permitted to worship in private. Pius won renown for his sanctioning of the Holy League against the Ottoman Turks and for his divine revelation concerning the victory at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. The victory and the apparent intercession of the Virgin Mary at the battle gave Pius enough credit to be beatified in 1672. He was later sainted for the miracle. Pius V died in 1572.

Date of Death: 1 May 1572

Canonized: 24 May 1712 by Pope Clement XI

Feast Day & Patronage: 30 April — Patron Saint of Valletta, Malta

Successor: Gregory XIII

Other Monarch Deaths:

Arcadius, emperor of Constantinople (408)

Stephen I, king of Serbia (1277)

Albert I, king of Germany (1308)

Marcellus II, pope of Rome (1555)

[April 22] St. Caius, pope of Rome

Parents: Caius, a relative of Emperor Diocletian of Rome

Predecessor: Eutychian

Reign: 283 – 296

Summary: Little is known about Pope Caius' early life. He was briefly mentioned by Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History and he may have been an uncle of Saint Susanna as he was linked to a site attributed to her martyrdom. A Caius was noted as being a donor of the property and an uncle of the woman.

As pope, Caius created the Catholic hierarchy of porter, lector, exorcist, acolyte, subdeacon, deacon, priest, and bishop. As a result, the western Christian world was formally divided into deaconates. The Roman Empire heavily persecuted the Christians during his reign but new churches continued to be built and both subterranean and traditional cemeteries were expanded. Contrary to tradition, Caius was probably not martyred by Diocletian but he may have still experienced a violent death, which earned him his sainthood. Caius' tomb was discovered in catacombs under the Vatican, linking the site to at least this period in history. His feast day is April 22nd.

Date of Death: 22 April 296

Successor: Marcellinus

Other Monarch Deaths:

Petronius Maximus, emperor of Rome (455)

Agapetus I, pope of Rome (536)

[March 28] Martin IV, pope of Rome

True Name: Simon de Brion

Parents: Jean, sieur de Brion

Date of Birth: circa 1210

Predecessor: Nicholas III

Reign: 1281 – 1285

Summary: A Frenchman by birth and upbringing, Simon de Brion was born on the Île-de-France to the Brion family, which controlled land near Joigny. Simon studied at the University of Paris then studied law at Padua and Bologna. With such a background, it was only a matter of time until he received notice from the Papacy. He was made canon at Saint-Quentin in 1238 and a decade later was canon in Rouen serving as an archdeacon. Simultaneously, Simon served as treasurer of Saint-Martin in Tours, a political position he retained until 1281. Simon had a high standing in the French court and was made chancellor of France and keeper of the great seal in 1259. His rise continued when Pope Urban IV made him a cardinal in 1261 and granted him a residence in Rome. Until his nomination to the Papacy in 1281, he served as a papal legate for three popes and was chief negotiator over the claims of Charles of Anjou to the Kingdom of Sicily. Simon was finally elected to the Papacy in 1281 after Charles of Anjou imprisoned two leading Italian cardinals.

As Pope Martin IV, Simon received much antagonism from the Italians and was crowned at Orvieto rather than Rome due to protests. Simon was absolutely dependent on Charles much as Charles had been dependent on Simon. As a vassal of the Sicilian king, Simon excommunicated the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII, thereby ending a tenuous alliance made many years earlier between the two monarchs. The breach was never resolved and the Catholic and Orthodox Churches remain to this day at odds. Charles, meanwhile, was deposed in 1282 in a violent revolution known as the Sicilian Vespers. The new king, Peter III of Aragon, sought papal confirmation but was denied despite reasserting the Papacy's dominance over Sicily. Simon, on his part, excommunicated the new king, withdrew papal support for Aragon, and ordered a crusade against the king. Yet for all his trying, Simon did not have the power to force the issue. He was pushed out of Rome and died at Perugia in 1285, a little-respected pope who never wielded much actual power.

Date of Death: 28 March 1285

Successor: Honorius IV

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Pertinax, emperor of Rome (193)
• Ordulf, duke of Saxony (1072)
• Go-Toba, emperor of Japan (1239)

[February 15] Lucius II, pope of Rome

True Name: Gherardo Caccianemici dal Orso

Parents: Orso Caccianemici

Reign: 1144 – 1145

Predecessor: Celestine II

Summary: As with many popes, Gherardo began his life as a canon at the Basilica di San Frediano and then became a cardinal at Santa Croce in 1124. Both of these establishments he remembered in his year as pope because he gave them great gold and silver gifts for their collections. In 1125, Pope Honorius II made him the librarian of Rome and then papal legate to Germany. This rapid-fire succession of positions made his place in the papal hierarchy very apparent. His help in securing the Holy Roman Imperial throne for Lothair III made him famous, and for two years starting in 1128, he virtually controlled the city of Benevento for the Papacy. In 1130, Gherardo was again sent to Germany, this time to request Imperial aide in repelling Antipope Anacletus II. From this time forward, Gherardo was the chief diplomat to Germany, which awarded him the position of papal chancellor, a coveted position that often led to the papacy. And so it did for Gherardo, who was elected as Lucius II on 12 March 1144.


For only serving as pope for a eleven months, Lucius was an eager and successful pope. He reorganized much of the church in England and took the side of Matilda versus Stephen in the Anarchy. He took control of the town of Lucca in Italy then returned it to the people as the town's protector. In Portugal, Afonso I, the first recognized king of the country, sought independence from León via Lucius. Lucius declined the title of king, but accepted its independence and granted him the title of Duke of Portugal. Conflict with Sicily forced Lucius to make an uneven peace with King Roger II. In exchange for a cessation of hostilities, Sicily was granted additional lands. This angered the Roman Senate and they revolted against the Papacy, declaring the Roman Commune. The group demanded that Lucius abandon all government duties in Rome and stick to the ecclesiastical duties. Rome became a battleground, with camps set up across the Roman ruins of the old Forum and Circus Maximus. On the Ides of February, Lucius led a small army against the Senatorial army and was defeated, being injured by a thrown stone in the process. He did not recover and died soon after. His successor, Eugene III, was unable to rule from Rome for most of his reign due to the Commune.

Date of Death: 15 February 1145

Successor: Eugene III

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (1637)

[January 28] Paul V, Pope of Rome

True Name: Camillo Borghese
Date of Birth: 17 September 1552

Royal House: Borghese

Reign: 1605 – 1621

Predecessor: Leo XI

Summary: Little is known of the life of Camillo Borghese prior to his election to the papal throne. His family were Sienan exiles who had settled in Rome. Camillo studied religion at Padua and Perugia, two prestigious Italian schools. In 1596, Camillo was made a cardinal and soon after he became the Vicar of Rome by Clement VIII, a position that set him up for the papacy. He remained out of papal politics during the reign of Leo XI and this earned him the respect from his peers he required to gain the throne. He won the election in 1605 and immediately put into place his designs for the Catholic Church.

Much of Paul V's reign was taken up in international politics. He was constantly in a feud over the status of clerics in Venice. Venice had passed numerous laws bringing clerics into the general status of civilian, while the papacy argued that clerics should be exempt from secular law. With England, Paul wrote a letter attempting to correct wrongs made by some Catholics from the Gunpowder Plot. But it came across wrong and made Catholics in England appear even worse. In an age where Japan was not yet completely isolationist, Paul received an envoy from the Japanese shogunate requesting to open trade with Spain. Though outside his jurisdiction, Paul agreed to pass along the message and also to send some missionaries to Japan. Little else can be attributed to Paul's reign. He completed some building projects in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, but much of his power was given to his nephew, Scipione Borghese. When Paul died in 1621, it was Scipione who encouraged the College of Cardinals to elect Alessandro Ludovisi as the new pope. He was elected and took the name Gregory XV.

Date of Death: 28 January 1621

Successor: Gregory XV

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Charles I, king of the Franks (814)
• Spytihnev II, duke of Bohemia (1061)
• Henry VIII, king of England (1547)

[January 10] Gregory X, Pope of Rome

True Name: Tebaldo Visconti
Date of Birth: circa 1210
Royal House: Visconti
Predecessor: Clement IV
Reign: 1271 – 1276
Summary: Pope Gregory X is unique among popes in that he ascended the throne after a three year interregnum due to disagreement among the College of Cardinals. The disagreement stemmed from disputes over Italian or French control over the Kingdom of Sicily. Tebaldo Visconti was eventually chosen as a moderate since he was Italian but lived in the north, away from Sicilian politics. Tebaldo was not present at the time of his election as he was with Edward I, king of England, in Palestine.

As pope, Gregory X was a moderating presence. Returning from the Holy Land, he petitioned against Jewish persecution while he also wished to end the East-West Schism that had become solidified a few centuries prior. His most lasting reform, however, established regulatory laws for papal elections to avoid such a long interregnum in the future. Perhaps a more immediate gain, however, was the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Great Khanate of the Mongols and the Papacy. Upon the return of Niccolo and Maffeo Polo, diplomatic relations began between both Kublai Khan and Abaqa of the Ilkhanate in Iran. A joint-war Crusade was planned between the Ilkhanate and the Papal forces for a tenth Crusade when Gregory X died unexpectedly. The alliance never happened and no future crusade occurred.
Date of Death: 10 January 1276
Successor: Innocent V

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Agatho, pope of Rome (681)
• John I Tzimiskes, emperor of Constantinople (976)
• Al-Mustansir, Abbasid caliph of Sunni Islam (1094)
• Honoré II, prince of Monaco (1662)
• Victor Emmanuel I, king of Sardinia (1824)