PARTI.

CENT Italy [0], hoping now to enjoy with security the XIII. fruits of his ambition. It was principally from this period, that the two famous factions, called Guelphs and Guibelines, of which the latter espoused the cause of the emperors, and the former that of the pontifs, involved all the Italian states in the most fatal dissensions, though their origin is much earlier than this century [p].

Alexander

IV.

Urban IV.

XII. RAYNALD, count of Segni, and bishop of Ostia, was raised to the pontificate after the death of INNOCENT, in the year 1254, and is distinguished in the list of the popes by the name of ALEXANDER IV. During the six years and six months that he governed the see of Rome, his time was less employed in civil affairs, than in regulating the internal state of the church, if we except the measures he took for the destruction of CONRADIN, grandson of FREDERIC II. and for composing the tumults that had so long reigned without interruption in Italy. The mendicant friars, in particular, and among them the Dominicans and Franciscans, were much favoured by this pontif, and received several marks of his peculiar bounty.

He was succeeded in the Roman see, A. D. 1261, by URBAN IV. a native of Troyes, of obscure birth, who before his elevation to the pontificate, was patriarch of Jerusalem, and after that period was more distinguished by his instituting the Festival of the body of Christ, than by any other circumstance in the course of his reign. He had indeed, formed several important projects, but their execution was prevented by his death, which happened, in the year 1264, after a short

reign

[o] Besides the writers already mentioned, see NICOL. DE CURRIO, Vita Innocentii IV. in BALUZII Miscellan. tom. vii. P. 353.

[P] See MURATORII Dissertat, de Guelphis et Guibellinis, in his Antiq. Ital. medii ævi, tom. iv. p. 606.

XIII.

reign of three years. His successor GUI FULCODI, C E N T. or CLEMENS IV. a native of France, and bishop PART II. of Sabino, who was raised to the see of Rome in the year 1265, did not enjoy much longer that high dignity. His name, however, makes a greater figure in history, and was rendered famous in many respects, and more especially by his conferring the kingdom of Naples upon CHARLES of Anjou, brother to LEWIS IX. king of France. The consequences of this donation are well known, and the fate of CONRADIN, the last descendant of FREDERIC II. who, after an unfortunate battle fought against CHARLES, was publicly beheaded by the barbarous victor, if not by the counsel, yet certainly with the consent, of the Roman pontif, are well known to such as have the smallest acquaintance with the history of these unhappy times.

XIII. Upon the death of CLEMENT IV. [9], Gregory X. there arose warm and vehement contests among the cardinals concerning the election of a new pontif. These debates, which kept the Roman see vacant during the space of three years, were· at length terminated in favour of THEALD, or THIBALD, a native of Placentia, and archbishop of Liege, who was raised to the pontificate in the year 1271, and assumed the title of GREGORY X. [r]. This devout ecclesiastic was in the Holy Land when he received the news of his election; and, as he had been an eye-witness of the miserable condition of the Christians in that country, he had nothing so much at heart, as the desire of contributing to their relief. Hence it was, that, immediately after his consecration, he summoned a council to meet at Lyons, in the year 1274, in N 3 which

[q] Which happened in the year 1268.

[r] The records of this election are published by Luc. WadDINGUS, Annal, Minor, tom. iv. p. 330.

PART II.

CEN T. which the relief and maintenance of the ChrisXIII. tians in Palestine, and the re-union of the Greek and Latin churches, were the two great points, that were to come principally under deliberation. This assembly is acknowledged as the fourteenth general council, and is rendered particularly remarkable by the new regulations that were introduced into the manner of electing the Roman pontif, and more especially by the famous law, which is still in force, and by which it was enacted, that the cardinal electors should be shut up in the conclave during the vacancy of the pontificate. With respect to the character and sentiments of the new pope we shall only observe, that though he seemed to be actuated by a milder spirit than many of his predecessors, yet he inculcated, without the least hesitation, that odious maxim of GREGORY VII. that declared the bishop of Rome the lord of the world, and, in a more especial manner, of the Roman empire. It was in consequence of this presumptuous system, that in the year 1271, he wrote an imperious and threatening letter to the German princes in which, deaf to the pretensions and remonstrances of ALPHONSUS, king of Castile [s], he ordered them to elect an emperor without delay, assuring them, that if they did not do it immediately, he would do it for them. This letter produced the designed effect; an electoral diet was assembled at Francfort, and RODOLPHUS Count of Hapsburg, was raised to the imperial throne.

XIV.

[S] ALPHONSUS, king of Castile, had been elected emperor in the year 1256, by the archbishop of Triers, the duke of Saxony, the margrave of Brandenburg, and the king of Bohemia, in opposition to RICHARD, duke of Cornwall, brother of HENRY III. king of England, who was at the same time raised to the same dignity by the archbishops of Mentz and Bologn, the count Palatine of the Rhine, and the duke of Bavaria.

XIII. PART II.

Adrian V.

Nicolas lif.

XIV. GREGORY X. was succeeded, in the yearC EN T. 1276, by PETER of Tarantaise, of the Dominican order, and bishop of Ostia, who assumed the name of INNOCENT V. and died about five months after Innocent V. his election. OTTOBONI, a native of Genoa, and John XXI. cardinal of St Adrian, was chosen in his place, took the title of ADRIAN V. [t], and, after having ruled the church during five weeks, was succeeded by PETER JULIAN, bishop of Tusculum, who enjoyed that high dignity about eight months, and is distinguished in the papal list by the name of JOHN XXI. [u]. The see of Rome continued vacant for above six months after the death of the last-mentioned pontif, but was at length filled, in the month of November 1277, by JOAN CAJETAN, of the family of Ursins, cardinal of St Nicolas, whose name he adopted for his papal title. This famous pontif, as has been already observed, augmented greatly both the opulence and authority of the bishops of Rome, and had formed vast projects, which his undaunted courage and his remarkable activity would have enabled him, without doubt, to execute with success, had not death blasted his hopes, and disconcerted his ambitious schemes.

XV. He was succeeded in the year 1281, about Martin IV. six months after his departure from this life, by Nicolas IV. SIMON DE BRIE, who adopted the name of MARTIN IV. and was not inferior to NICOLAS III. in ambition, arrogance, and constancy of mind, of which he gave several proofs during his pontificate. MICHAEL PALEOLOGUS, the Grecian emperor, was one of the first princes, who was solemnly

N 4

[] We read in the Latin, ADRIAN VI. which is more probably an error of the press, than a fault of the author.

[u] In the original Dr MOSHEIM observes, that these three successors of GREGORY were elected and carried of by death in the year 1276; but here he has fallen into a slight mistake; for JOHN XXI. died the 16th of May 1277.

PART II

CEN T.lemnly excommunicated by this audacious priest, XIII. and that, under the pretext of his having broken' the peace that had been concluded between the Greek and Latin churches, at the council of Lions [w]. The same insult was committed against PETER, king of Arragon, whom MARTIN not only excluded from the bosom of the church, but also deposed from his throne, on account of his attempt upon Sicily, and made a grant of his kingdoms, fiefs, and possessions to CHARLES, Son of PHILIP the Bold [x], king of France. It was during the execution of such daring enterprises as these, and while he was meditating still greater things for the glory of the Roman hierarchy, that a sudden death, in the year 1285, obliged him to leave his schemes unfinished. They were, however, prosecuted with great spirit by his successor, JAMES SAVELLI, who chose the denomination of HONORIUS IV. but was also stopt short, in the midst of his career, in the year 1287, having ruled the church only two years. JEROME D'ASCOLI, bishop of Palestrina, who was raised to the pontificate in the year 1288, and is known by the name of NICOLAS IV. distinguished himself, during the four years that he remained at the head of the church, by his assiduous application both to ecclesiastical and political affairs. Sometimes we see the disputes of sovereign powers left to his arbitration, and terminated by his decision; at other times, we find him maintaining the pretensions and privileges of the church with the most resolute zeal and the most obstinate perseverance; at other times, again, we see him employing, with the utmost assiduity, every probable method of propagating the gospel among the

Tartars

[w] This council had been held under the pontificate of GREGORY X.

[x] PHILIPPE LE HARDI, as he is called by the French.