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:
^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.
^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).
^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)
^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
^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)
^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)
^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.
^Paul Kehr, Italia Pontificia, Berlin 1906–1975, vol. IV, p. 100 no. 5.
Sources
Ganzer, Klaus (1963). Die Entwicklung des auswärtigen Kardinalats im hohen Mittelalter. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte des Kardinalkollegiums vom 11.bis 13. Jahrhundert. Bibliothek des Deutschen Historischen Instituts in Rom (in German). Tübingen: Max Niemeyer Verlag.
Zenker, Barbara (1964). Die Mitglieder des Kardinalkollegiums von 1130 bis 1159 (in German). Würzburg.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Brixius, Johannes Matthias (1912). Die Mitglieder des Kardinalkollegiums von 1130-1181 (in German). Berlin: R. Trenkel.
