1181 papal election explained

Year:1181
Notconclave:true
Dates:1 September 1181
Location:Rome
Dean:Ubaldo Allucingoli
Subdean:Konrad von Wittelsbach
Protopriest:Alberto di Morra
Protodeacon:Giacinto Bobone Orsini
Pope Elected:Ubaldo Allucingoli
Nametaken:Lucius III
Prevconclave Year:1159
Prevconclave Link:1159 papal election
Nextconclave Year:1185
Nextconclave Link:1185 papal election

The 1181 papal election followed the death of Pope Alexander III and resulted in the election of Pope Lucius III. This was the first papal election celebrated in accordance with the decree Licet de evitanda discordia, promulgated in the Third Lateran Council in 1179, which established that the pope is elected by a majority of two thirds votes.

Licet de evitanda discordia

The contested papal election, 1159, which resulted in the election of Pope Alexander III and Antipope Victor IV (1159–1164), created a schism in the Catholic Church that lasted almost twenty years (until 1178). In 1159 the cardinals were unable to achieve consensus, though an electoral compact had set that as its goal.[1] The cardinals had been divided into two parties, those who favored the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and those who favored William I of Sicily, and each of them elected their own pope. In August 1178 Antipope Callixtus III, the successor of Victor IV, finally submitted to Alexander III.[2] In the following year Alexander III celebrated the Third Lateran Council, which promulgated the decree Licet de evitanda discordia.[3] To avoid schism in the future, the decree established that the pope is elected with the majority of two thirds of the cardinals, if unanimity cannot be achieved.[4] It confirmed also that the cardinals are the sole electors of the pope.[5]

Election of Lucius III

Pope Alexander III died on August 30, 1181, in Civita Castellana.[6] Two days later, on September 1, 1181, the cardinals assembled at Rome (probably at Lateran or Vatican Basilica)[7] and unanimously elected the senior member of the Sacred College, Cardinal Ubaldo of Lucca, Bishop of Ostia. He took the name Lucius III. On September 6, 1181, he was crowned by Cardinal Teodino of Porto at Velletri.[8]

Cardinal-electors

There were probably 27 cardinals in the Sacred College of Cardinals in 1181.[9] Based on the examination of the subscriptions of the papal bulls in 1181[10] and the available data about the external missions of the cardinals it is possible to establish that no more than 19 cardinals participated in the election:

ElectorPlace of birthCardinalatial titleElevatedElevatorNotes
Ubaldo AllucingoliLuccaBishop of OstiaDecember 16, 1138Innocent IIDean of the Sacred College of Cardinals
TheodinusArrone, TuscanyBishop of Porto e Santa RufinaDecember 18, 1165Alexander III
Paolo ScolariRomeBishop of PalestrinaSeptember 21, 1179Alexander IIIArchpriest of the patriarchal Liberian Basilica; future Pope Clement III (1187–1191)
Alberto di Morra, C.R.BeneventoPriest of S. Lorenzo in Lucina
and Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church
December 21, 1156 Adrian IVProtopriest
future Pope Gregory VIII (1187)
Joannes Anagninus
(Giovanni dei Conti di Anagni)
AnagniPriest of S. Marco1158/1159Adrian IVFuture bishop of Palestrina (1190–1196)
Cinthius Capellus[11] Rome (?)Priest of S. CeciliaMarch 14, 1158Adrian IVnephew of Innocent II
Pietro de Bono, Can.Reg.RomePriest of S. SusannaMarch 18, 1166Alexander III
Uguccione PierleoniRomePriest of S. ClementeMarch 2, 1173Alexander IIIRelative of Anacletus II (1130–1138)
Laborans de PontormoPontormo near FlorencePriest of S. Maria in TrastevereSeptember 21, 1173Alexander III
VivianoOrvieto (?)Priest of S. Stefano in Monte CelioMarch 7, 1175Alexander III
Ardoino da Piacenza, Can.Reg.PiacenzaPriest of S. Croce in GerusalemmeJune 2, 1178Alexander III
Matthieu d’AnjouAngersPriest of S. MarcelloDecember 22, 1178Alexander III
Giacinto BoboneRomeDeacon of S. Maria in CosmedinDecember 22, 1144Lucius IIProtodeacon
future Pope Celestine III (1191–1198)
Ardicio RivoltellaPiadena (Platina) near CremonaDeacon of S. TeodoroDecember 21, 1156 Adrian IV
Rainiero da PaviaPaviaDeacon of S. Giorgio in VelabroJune 6, 1175Alexander III
Matteo, Can.Reg.Unknown (possibly Rome)Deacon of S. Maria NuovaMarch 4, 1178 Alexander III
Graziano da PisaPisaDeacon of SS. Sergio e Bacco March 4, 1178Alexander IIINephew of Pope Eugene III
RainierUnknownDeacon of S. AdrianoSeptember 22, 1178Alexander III
GiovanniUnknownDeacon of S. Angelo in PescheriaSeptember 22, 1178Alexander III

Thirteen electors were created by Pope Alexander III, four by Pope Adrian IV, one by Pope Innocent II and one by Lucius II.

Absentee cardinals

ElectorPlace of birthCardinalatial titleElevatedElevatorNotes
Konrad von WittelsbachBavariaBishop of Sabina and Archbishop of SalzburgDecember 18, 1165Alexander IIISubdean of the Sacred College of Cardinals; external cardinal[12]
Henri de Marsiac, O.Cist.Château de Marcy, FranceBishop of AlbanoMarch 1179Alexander IIIPapal legate in France[13]
Pietro da Pavia, Can.Reg.Pavia or FranceBishop of TusculumSeptember 21, 1173Aleksander IIIPapal legate in France and Germany; archbishop-elect of Bourges[14]
Giovanni da Napoli, Can.Reg.NaplesPriest of S. AnastasiaSeptember 21, 1150Eugenius IIIPapal legate in Constantinople[15]
Ruggiero di San Severino, O.S.B.Cas.San SeverinoPriest of S. Eusebio and Archbishop of BeneventoCirca 1178-1180Alexander IIIExternal cardinal[16]
Guillaume aux Blanches MainsFrancePriest of S. Sabina and Archbishop of ReimsMarch 1179Alexander IIIExternal cardinal[17]
Simeone Borelli, O.S.B.Cas.CampagnaDeacon of S. Maria in DomnicaCirca 1157Adrian IVAbbot of Subiaco (external cardinal)[18]
Leonato de Manoppello, O.S.B.Manoppello (?)Deacon of the Holy Roman ChurchMarch 21, 1170Alexander IIIAbbot of S. Clemente in Casauria; external cardinal[19]

Sources

Notes and References

  1. This, at any rate, is what Cardinal Ymarus, the leader of the imperial party wrote (Watterich II, pp. 462–463): "In nomine Domini Amen. Convenerunt episcopi, presbyteri, diaconi cardinales sanctae Romanae ecclesiae et promiserunt sibi invicem in verbo veritatis, quod de electione futuri Pontificis tractabunt secundum consuetudinem istius ecclesiae, scilicet quod segregentur aliquae personae de eisdem fratribus, qui audiant voluntatem singulorum et diligenter inquirant et fideliter describant, et, si Deus dederit, quod concorditer possimus convenire, bene; sin autem, nullus procedat sine communi consensu et hoc observetur sine fraude et malo ingenio."
  2. [Antipope Innocent III]
  3. Latin text in: J.D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XXII (Venice: A. Zatta 1778), pp. 217-218.
  4. Robinson, pp. 84-85
  5. Robinson, pp. 40-41. Carl Joseph Hefele, Histoire des conciles Tome V, deuxième partie (Paris: Letouzey 1913), pp. 1087-1089.
  6. Jaffé, p. 418
  7. Gregorovius, p. 609: "Lucius III, Ubaldo Allucingoli of Lucca, hitherto Cardinal-bishop of Ostia and Velletri, was not even elected in Rome, but was raised to the Papacy by the College of Cardinals assembled at Velletri, and was ordained on September 6, 1181. After an agreement with the Romans he came to the city in November, and was allowed to remain some months."
  8. Jaffé, p. 432; Regesta Imperii: Abteilung IV. Band 4, 1 – Papstregesten 1181–1184, no. 1
  9. Reconstruction of the membership of the Sacred College is based on Brixius, p. 26 note 8. Brixius listed only 25 cardinals, but two additional are mentioned by Ganzer, pp. 102-104 no. 42 and pp. 119-121 no. 48
  10. Jaffé, pp. 145-146 and 431-432; Regesta Imperii – Liste der Kardinalsunterschriften unter Lucius III.
  11. Kartusch, p. 118.
  12. Ganzer, pp. 104-114 no. 43
  13. Robinson, pp. 165 and 242; he did not subscribe any papal bulls between December 8, 1179 and November 20, 1182. Jaffé, p. 145; Regesta Imperii – Liste der Kardinalsunterschriften unter Lucius III.
  14. Ganzer, pp. 123-125 no. 50
  15. Brixius, pp. 55-56 no. 15; he did not subscribe any papal bulls after July 3, 1179.
  16. Ganzer, pp. 129-131 no. 52
  17. Ganzer, pp. 125-129 no. 51
  18. Ganzer, pp.102-104 no. 42
  19. Ganzer, pp. 119-121 no. 48