POPES AND THEIR ROLES IN HISTROY

PEOPLES AND EMPIRES

The 97th Roman Catholic Pope.

Rose from the lower classes, because of this,

the aristocrats who formed the bulk of the

Vatican hierarchy resented him.

Was attacked in St.Peter’s Cathedral in 799 A.D.

by member’s of his predecessor’s family. They

attempted to cut out his tongue and gouge out

his eyes. He escaped and fled to Charlemange.

Crowned Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor

in December of 800 A.D.

Forbade the addition of filioque, latin for “and

from the son”, to the Nicene Creed.

Was canonized as saint in 1673 by Pope

Clement X.

PAPACY: MARCH 6, 1447 – MARCH 24, 1455

Crowned Frederick III as Emperor in St.Peter’s. Was the last occasion of the coronation of an Emperor in Rome.

Had Rome’s streets and aqueducts restored. The Vatican, the Borgo district and St.Peter’s Basilica rebuilt. Reinforced the city’s fortifictions.

Founded a library of nine thousand volumes.

In 1455 he licensed King Afonso V of Portugal to “reduce to perpetual slavery” all the inhabitants of Africa, “and all southern coasts until their end”, as the “enemies of Christ”.

Was made cardinal at the age of 21 by Pope Pius II, his uncle.

While Cardinal, he commissioned a library to house the humanist texts assembled by his uncle.

PAPACY: SEPTEMBER 22, 1503 – OCTOBER 18, 1503 (26 DAYS)

Though the books never made it to the library, the library is held as a monument to the High Renaissance in Siena.

After only a brief pontificate of twenty-six days he died of and ulcer in the leg, though some alleged that he was poisoned by Pandolfo Petrucci, the governor of Siena.