Callixtus III (also Calixtus III or Callistus III; died between 1180 and 1184) was an
antipope
An antipope ( la, antipapa) is a person who makes a significant and substantial attempt to occupy the position of Bishop of Rome and leader of the Catholic Church in opposition to the legitimately elected pope. At times between the 3rd and mid- ...
from September 1168 until his resignation in August 1178. He was the third antipope elected in opposition to
Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III (c. 1100/1105 – 30 August 1181), born Roland ( it, Rolando), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 September 1159 until his death in 1181.
A native of Siena, Alexander became pope after a con ...
during the latter's struggle with the Emperor
Frederick Barbarossa
Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on ...
.
Callixtus' baptismal name was John. He entered the
Vallombrosan
The Vallombrosians (alternately spelled Vallombrosans, Vallumbrosians or Vallumbrosans) are a monastic religious order in the Catholic Church. They are named after the location of their motherhouse founded in Vallombrosa ( la, Vallis umbrosa, sha ...
monastery of Struma near
Arezzo
Arezzo ( , , ) , also ; ett, 𐌀𐌓𐌉𐌕𐌉𐌌, Aritim. is a city and ''comune'' in Italy and the capital of the province of the same name located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about southeast of Florence at an elevation of above sea level. ...
as a boy. In November 1158, the emperor placed the Vallombrosan under imperial protection. By that time, John was the abbot of Struma and one of the most important supporters of the emperor in
Tuscany
Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze'').
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...
. After the disputed
papal election of 1159, he supported the imperial candidate
Victor IV over Alexander III. He was rewarded by Victor with the
cardinal-bishopric of Albano, but was not immediately consecrated, rather continuing on as abbot.
After the death of Victor's successor,
Paschal III
Antipope Paschal III (or Paschal III) () was a 12th-century clergyman who, from 1164 to 1168, was the second antipope to challenge the reign of Pope Alexander III. He had previously served as Cardinal (Catholic Church), Cardinal of Santa Maria i ...
, on 20 September 1168, his supporters gathered in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
to elect a new (anti-)pope. John was chosen that same month. He took the name Callixtus and sent Umfredo, (pseudo-)cardinal of
Santa Susanna
The Church of Saint Susanna at the Baths of Diocletian ( it, Chiesa di Santa Susanna alle Terme di Diocleziano) is a Roman Catholic parish church located on the Quirinal Hill in Rome, Italy. There has been a titular church associated to its site ...
, to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
to inform Frederick of his election.
[ He found the emperor at an imperial diet in ]Bamberg
Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby ' castle. C ...
in June 1169. Frederick, who was in negotiations with Alexander III to end the schism at the time, did not immediately recognize Callixtus' election.J. N. D. Kelly
John Norman Davidson Kelly (13 April 1909 – 31 March 1997) was a British theologian and academic at the University of Oxford and Principal of St Edmund Hall, Oxford, between 1951 and 1979, during which the hall transformed into an independent ...
and Michael Walsh (2015)
"Callistus (III)"
''A Dictionary of Popes'' (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
. According to Cardinal Boso of Santa Pudenziana, a partisan of Alexander III, Frederick was "inwardly deeply grieved" by the election of Callixtus, whom he had never met.[John B. Freed (2016). ''Frederick Barbarossa: The Prince and the Myth''. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, p. 350.] Nevertheless, Frederick expressed his intention to go with an army to Italy in 1170 to restore the unity of the Church. No such expedition took place, however.[
Late in 1169, Callixtus sent Umfredo and Sigewin, cardinal-bishop of ]Viterbo
Viterbo (; Viterbese: ; lat-med, Viterbium) is a city and ''comune'' in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo.
It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in its early history. ...
, as legates
A ''legatus'' (; anglicised as legate) was a high-ranking Roman military officer in the Roman Army, equivalent to a modern high-ranking general officer. Initially used to delegate power, the term became formalised under Augustus as the office ...
to Germany. They brought a pallium
The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolit ...
for Baldwin I, the new archbishop of Bremen
Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...
. Frederick ordered a collection in Germany for Callixtus.[ Frederick recognized Callixtus only after his negotiations with Alexander broke down. The antipope was primarily a bargaining chip with which the emperor could pressure Alexander, and had only limited geographical support in comparison to Victor IV and Paschal III. He held Rome itself, but was acknowledge only in part of the ]Papal State
The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...
, in his native Tuscany and in the Rhineland
The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section.
Term
Historically, the Rhinelands ...
.[ He and his legates issued privileges for several monasteries in the ]Upper Rhine
The Upper Rhine (german: Oberrhein ; french: Rhin Supérieur) is the section of the Rhine between Basel in Switzerland and Bingen in Germany, surrounded by the Upper Rhine Plain. The river is marked by Rhine-kilometres 170 to 529 (the sc ...
land.[ He mainly resided in ]Viterbo
Viterbo (; Viterbese: ; lat-med, Viterbium) is a city and ''comune'' in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo.
It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in its early history. ...
.[
In 1173, Callixtus sent Martin, cardinal-bishop of ]Tusculum
Tusculum is a ruined Roman city in the Alban Hills, in the Latium region of Italy. Tusculum was most famous in Roman times for the many great and luxurious patrician country villas sited close to the city, yet a comfortable distance from Rome ( ...
, to Germany as legate to help mediate an alliance between Frederick and King Louis VII of France
Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger, or the Young (french: link=no, le Jeune), was King of the Franks from 1137 to 1180. He was the son and successor of King Louis VI (hence the epithet "the Young") and married Duchess ...
. For the next three years nothing is known of Callixtus' activities. Frederick, when it became politically expedient, after the defeat of Legnano, switched his backing to Alexander. In November 1176, he signed the Pact of Anagni, which did, however, protect Callixtus by granting him an abbacy and restoring the cardinals he had created to their former offices. These terms were confirmed in the final Peace of Venice
The Treaty or Peace of Venice, 1177, was a peace treaty between the papacy and its allies, the north Italian city-states of the Lombard League, and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor. The Norman Kingdom of Sicily also took part in negotiations and ...
in July 1177.[
Callixtus did not immediately recognize the Peace of Venice, but in 1178 Archbishop Christian of Mainz, the imperial chancellor, marched an army into Italy to retake the ]Papal State
The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...
and Rome for Alexander. This rendered Callixtus' position at Viterbo untenable, and he fled to Monte Albano. On 29 August 1178, Callixtus submitted to Alexander III at Tusculum
Tusculum is a ruined Roman city in the Alban Hills, in the Latium region of Italy. Tusculum was most famous in Roman times for the many great and luxurious patrician country villas sited close to the city, yet a comfortable distance from Rome ( ...
and abjured the schism.[ The pope entertained him with a feast.][ Some of his obstinate partisans sought to substitute a new antipope, and chose one Lando di Sezze under the name of ]Innocent III
Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 J ...
.
Alexander appointed Callixtus rector of Benevento
Benevento (, , ; la, Beneventum) is a city and ''comune'' of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the ...
. He still held that position in 1180, but by 1184 he was dead.[
]
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Callixtus Iii, antipope
Date of birth unknown
Place of birth unknown
Date of death unknown
Place of death unknown
12th-century antipopes
12th-century Italian cardinals
12th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops
Callixtus 3
Cardinal-bishops of Albano