1143 papal election

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Papal election
September 1143
Dates and location
26 September 1143
Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, Rome
Key officials
Dean Corrado Demetri della Suburra
Protopriest Gerardo Caccianemici
Protodeacon Gregorio Tarquini
Elected pope
Guido di Castello
Name taken: Celestine II
  1130
1144  

The 1143 papal election followed the death of Pope Innocent II and resulted in the election of Pope Celestine II.

Contents

Plan of the medieval Lateran Basilica Lateran Palace medieval.jpg
Plan of the medieval Lateran Basilica

Election of Celestine II

Pope Innocent II died on 24 September 1143, at Rome. During the first eight years of his pontificate he faced the schism with Antipope Anacletus II (1130–1138), which finally ended in May 1138 with abdication and submission of Anacletus’ successor Antipope Victor IV (1138). The Second Lateran Council in April 1139 deposed from the ecclesiastical offices all former adherents of the Anacletus. However, despite the triumph over the antipope, the last years of Innocent's pontificate were not successful - papal armies were defeated by King Roger II of Sicily, who had received the crown from Anacletus II and demanded the recognition of his title from Innocent II. After the lost battle of Galluccio on 22 July 1139 the pope was taken prisoner by Roger and was forced to confirm all privileges given to the king by Anacletus II. [1] Soon afterwards new serious problem arose at the city of Rome. In 1143, shortly before Innocent's death, the Roman people created a municipal commune which rejected the secular rule of the Papacy in the Eternal City. The election of Innocent's successor took place in the shadow of this municipal revolution. [2]

The cardinals present at Rome assembled in the Lateran Basilica and on 26 September 1143 elected Cardinal Guido del Castello of S. Marco, who had previously served as legate of Innocent II before king Roger in 1137, [3] and was the first cardinal known to hold the title of magister . [4] He took the name Celestine II and was consecrated on the same day. [5]

Cardinal-electors

There were probably 30 cardinals in the Sacred College of Cardinals in September 1143. [6] Basing on the examination of the subscriptions of the papal bulls in 1143 [7] and the available data about the external missions of the cardinals it is possible to establish that no more than 23 cardinals participated in the election:

ElectorCardinalatial TitleElevatedElevatorNotes
Corrado Demetri della Suburra Bishop of Sabina 1113/14Paschalis II Dean of the College of Cardinals; future Pope Anastasius IV (1153—1154)
Alberic de Beauvais, O.S.B.Cluny Bishop of Ostia 3 April 1138Innocent II
Étienne de Châlons, O.Cist. Bishop of Palestrina 21 February 1141Innocent II
Imar, O.S.B.Cluny Bishop of Tusculum 13 March 1142Innocent II
Pietro Bishop of Albano 17 September 1143Innocent II
Gerardo Caccianemici, Can.Reg. Priest of S. Croce in Gerusalemme 9 March 1123Callixtus II Protopriest; Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church; future Pope Lucius II (1144—1145)
Guido del Castello Priest of S. Marco 1128/29Honorius IIElected Pope Celestine II
Guido Florentinus Priest of S. Crisogono1139Innocent II
Rainiero Priest of S. Prisca 22 December 1139Innocent II
Gregorio della Suburra Priest of S. Maria in Trastevere 1 March 1140Innocent II
Tommaso Priest of S. Vitale 1 March 1140Innocent II
Pietro Priest of S. Pudenziana 20 September 1140Innocent IIArchpriest of the Vatican Basilica
Ubaldo Priest of SS. Giovanni e Paolo 19 December 1141Innocent II
Gregorio Tarquini Deacon of SS. Sergio e Bacco 9 March 1123Callixtus II Protodeacon
Odone Bonecase Deacon of S. Giorgio in Velabro 4 March 1132Innocent II
Ubaldo Deacon of S. Maria in Via Lata 21 December 1134Innocent II
Gerardo Deacon of S. Maria in Domnica 27 May 1138Innocent II
Ottaviano de Monticelli Deacon of S. Nicola in Carcere 25 February 1138Innocent IIFuture Antipope Victor IV (1159–1164)
Pietro Deacon of S. Maria in Aquiro 21 February 1141Innocent II
Pietro Deacon of S. Maria in Portico 19 September 1141Innocent II
GregorioDeacon of the Holy Roman Church19 December 1141Innocent II
NiccoloDeacon of the Holy Roman Church13 March 1142Innocent II

Eighteen electors were created by Pope Innocent II, two by Pope Callixtus II, one by Pope Honorius II and one by Pope Paschalis II.

Absentees

ElectorCardinalatial TitleElevatedElevatorNotes
Theodwin, O.S.B. Bishop of Santa Rufina ca. 1133Innocent IIPapal legate in Germany [8]
Goizo Priest of S. Cecilia 22 December 1139Innocent IIPapal legate in Lombardy [9]
Rainaldo di Collemezzo, O.S.B.Cas. Priest of SS. Marcellino e Pietro ca. 1139–1141Innocent II Abbot of Montecassino (external cardinal [10] )
Ubaldo Allucingoli Priest of S. Prassede 16 December 1138Innocent IIPapal legate in Lombardy; [11] future Pope Lucius III (1181–1185)
Guido Pisano Deacon of SS. Cosma e Damiano 4 March 1132Innocent IIPapal legate in Spain [12]
Adenulf, O.S.B. Deacon of S. Maria in Cosmedin 16 December 1132Innocent IIAbbot of Farfa (external cardinal [13] )
Guido de Castro Ficeclo Deacon of the Holy Roman Church1139Innocent IIPapal legate in Bohemia and Moravia [14]
Gilberto Deacon of S. Adriano 13 March 1142Innocent IIPapal legate in Umbria [15]


Notes

  1. See Robinson, p. 384-387
  2. Robinson, pp. 78 and 453
  3. Cf. Zenker, p. 83-84
  4. Robinson, p. 220-221
  5. Robinson, p. 525; Jaffé, II, p. 1.
  6. Reconstruction is based on Brixius, p. 22 note 2 (number of 34 given by Brixius is apparently a scribal error), but with the following corrections: bishop Rodolfo of Orte, listed by Brixius (p. 46 no. 46), was not a cardinal at that time, see Zenker, pp. 52–53. Additionally, Brixius indicates that also Bernardo da Pisa, future Pope Eugene III, belonged to the College of Cardinals; but see M. Horn: Studien zur Geschichte Papst Eugens III.(1145-1153), Peter Lang Verlag 1992, pp. 42–45.
  7. Jaffé, I, pp. 840–841 and II, p. 1.
  8. Zenker, pp. 28 and 263; he did not subscribe any papal bulls between 18 May 1140 and 26 November 1143 (Jaffé, I, p. 840 and II, p. 1).
  9. He is attested as legate between August 1143 and December 1143 (Paul Kehr, Italia Pontificia, Berlin 1906–1975, vol. VI/1, pp. XXVI–XXVII and vol. VII/1, p. XVIII); he did not subscribe any papal bulls between 14 May 1143 and 28 December 1143 (Jaffé, I, p. 840, and II, p. 1)
  10. Ganzer, pp. 94–97; Ganzer postdated his creation to 1145, see G. Loud, The Latin Church in Norman Italy, Cambridge University Press, 2007, p. 158 note 87
  11. Zenker, p. 23; he did not subscribe any papal bulls between 26 April 1143 and 1 December 1143 (Jaffé, I, p. 840, and II, p. 1)
  12. Zenker, p. 147; he did not subscribe any papal bulls between 30 September 1142 and 17 February 1144 (Jaffé, I, p. 840, and II, p. 1)
  13. Ganzer, pp. 81–83
  14. Luchesius Spätling, Kardinal Guido und seine Legation in Böhmen-Mären, in: Mitteilungen des Instituts für österreichische Geschichtsforschung, Universitäts Wien Institut für Geschichtsforschung und Archivwissenschaft in Wien, 1958, pp. 308–330; Zenker, p. 189; Brixius, pp. 89–90.
  15. Paul Kehr, Italia Pontificia, Berlin 1906–1975, vol. IV, p. 100 no. 5.

Sources