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Pope Nicholas III

Type Figure Region Papal States Time c. 1216–1280 Also known as Nicholas III

Pope Nicholas III (1216/1225–1280), born Giovanni Gaetano Orsini of the Roman Orsini family, reigned 1277–1280, reforming papal finances, mediating t…

Timeline

  1. c. 1216–1273Rome · LazioBorn into the prominent Orsini family of Rome, he entered the church early, served as bishop of Ostia, Albano, and other sees, was made cardinal in 1244, and long participated in papal administration and Italian politics, renowned for his legal and diplomatic skills.
  2. 1277Viterbo · LazioElected pope on November 25, 1277 at a cardinal conclave in Viterbo, taking the name Nicholas III, ending the long interregnum since the death of Clement IV and marking the rise of the Orsini family's power.
  3. 1277–1280Rome · LazioDuring his reign he reformed papal finances, revised canon law, mediated the Angevin–Aragonese dispute over the Kingdom of Sicily, issued De potestate papae in 1280 emphasizing papal temporal jurisdiction, and appointed several relatives to the cardinalate, drawing later criticism for nepotism.

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