Jonathan ( 1120–1130) was a

Roman Catholic cardinal A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

who played a major role in two divisive

papal election A papal conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. ...

s. Jonathan (Italian ''Gionata'', Latin ''Ionathas'') was an ally of the

Pierleoni family The family of the Pierleoni, meaning "sons of Peter Leo", was a great Roman patrician clan of the Middle Ages, headquartered in a tower house in the quarter of Trastevere that was home to a larger number of Roman Jews. The heads of the family ofte ...

. He was ordained as cardinal deacon of

Santi Cosma e Damiano The basilica of Santi Cosma e Damiano is a titular church in Rome, Italy. The lower portion of the building is accessible through the Roman Forum and incorporates original Roman buildings, but the entrance to the upper level is outside the Foru ...

Pope Calixtus II Pope Callixtus II or Callistus II ( – 13 December 1124), born Guy of Burgundy, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 1119 to his death in 1124. His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controversy, ...

at the time of his coronation as pope in December 1120. He succeeded Pietro Pierleoni in this position. In 1123 or 1124, he represented Calixtus as papal legate to

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centur ...

. He was a witness to papal bulls between 3 January 1121 and 1 April 1124. In the 1124 papal election, Jonathan nominated Cardinal

Teobaldo Boccapecci Teobaldo Boccapecci or Boccapeconai, la, Thebaldus Buccapecuc) was elected pope after the death of Pope Callixtus II on 13 December 1124 and took the name Celestine II, but factional violence broke out during the investment ceremony and he resig ...

, who was unanimously elected and took the name Celestine II. Given Teobaldo's advacned age, his election was probably intended as a stopgap. The election was immediately overthrown by the

Frangipani ''Plumeria'' (), known as frangipani, is a genus of flowering plants in the subfamily Rauvolfioideae, of the family Apocynaceae. Most species are deciduous shrubs or small trees. The species variously are endemic to Mexico, Central America, and ...

, who engineered the election of Honorius II instead. Jonathan quickly accepted the new pope. He signed a bull of Honorius II on 6 May 1125. In 1127, he was named as legate alongside Cardinal Conrad of Santa Pudenziana to the abbey of Farfa. On this mission, he consecrated Abbot . The last bull of Honorius that he subscribed is dated 24 March 1129. In the

1130 papal election The 1130 papal election (held February 14) was convoked after the death of Pope Honorius II and resulted in a double election. Part of the cardinals, led by Cardinal-Chancellor Aymeric de la Chatre, elected Gregorio Papareschi as Pope Innocent ...

, Jonathan was one of the three cardinal deacons appointed to the commission entrusted with the election. Upon realizing that the commission had been engineered by the papal chancellor Haimeric to elect his favoured candidate, Jonathan and Pierleoni withdrew. Sent to secure Castel Sant'Angelo and coolly received by the guards, they realized what was afoot and refused to return to the commission. On 14 February, they led the majority of cardinals in electing Pierleoni as Anacletus II while the reduced commissioned elected

Innocent II Pope Innocent II ( la, Innocentius II; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as pope was controversial and the fi ...

. Jonathan succeeded Pierleoni a second time, when Anacletus II appointed him cardinal priest of

Santa Maria in Trastevere The Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere); en, Our Lady in Trastevere) is a titular minor basilica in the Trastevere district of Rome, and one of the oldest churches of Rome. The basic floor plan and ...

on Holy Saturday 1130. He signed Anacletus' bulls dated 27 March and 24 April that year.

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