Innocent III (born Lando Di Sezze) was an
antipope from 29 September 1179 to January 1180. Innocent III was born in Sezze in the
Papal States
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 died in La Cava,
Apulia. He was the last of four antipopes during the pontificate of
Alexander III.
Biography
Of German descent, Cardinal Sezze was elected Innocent III on 29 September 1179 by an anti-Alexander faction, and Alexander himself of whom, in January 1180, dispatched his opponent to the abbey of
La Trinità della Cava
La Trinità della Cava ( la, Abbatia Territorialis Sanctissimae Trinitatis Cavensis), commonly known as Badia di Cava, is a Benedictine territorial abbey located near Cava de' Tirreni, in the province of Salerno, southern Italy. It stands in a go ...
, where he died.
Election
In 1179, the enemies of Pope Alexander III (1159–1181) had successfully forced him to flee
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 ...
, never to return. They had the support of
Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I 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 o ...
. Most other
European countries
The list below includes all entities falling even partially under any of the regions of Europe, various common definitions of Europe, geographical or political. Fifty generally recognised sovereign states, Kosovo with limited, but substantial, ...
supported Alexander III however.
Papal claim defeated
The main support in Rome for Innocent III was from the powerful Roman Tusculum families, who had set up the two previous antipopes –
Victor IV (1159–1164) and his 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 of St. Maria.
Biography
Born Guido of Crem ...
(1164–1168). The brother of the late Victor IV, out of hatred for Alexander III, gave Lando a well-fortified castle at Palombara to defend against Alexander's supporters. A few months later however, Cardinal Hugo successfully bribed the guards to gain the castle. Innocent III and his supporters were then locked up for life in the monastery of La Cava in January 1180.
See also
*
Papal selection before 1059
The selection of the pope, the bishop of Rome and supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, prior to the promulgation of '' In nomine Domini'' in 1059 varied throughout history. Popes were often appointed by their predecessors or by political ...
*
Papal conclave (since 1274)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Innocent 03, Antipope
Date of birth unknown
Date of death unknown
12th-century antipopes
Innocent 3