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Pope Martin IV

Type Figure Region France Time c. 1210–1285 Also known as Martin IV

Pope Martin IV (c. 1210–1285), born Simon de Brion, a French cardinal, was Roman pope from 1281 to 1285, staunchly backing Charles of Anjou, excommun…

Timeline

  1. c. 1210–1261around Normandy–Touraine · NormandySimon de Brion came from a French noble family, studied theology in Paris, then entered the church, serving as cleric in Languedoc and as a papal official, gradually accumulating influence in the Roman Curia.
  2. 1261–1281Rome · LazioElevated to cardinal in 1261, he long held key papal financial and diplomatic posts and was closely tied to the family of Charles of Anjou, becoming an important figure within the Curia supporting French–Angevin expansion in the Mediterranean.
  3. 1281–1285Perugia · UmbriaElected pope in 1281 and taking the name Martin IV, he maintained the excommunication of Byzantine emperor Michael VIII, supported the Angevin recovery of Sicily, and after the Sicilian Vespers called a crusade against Aragon, binding Curia policy tightly to Mediterranean power struggles.

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