Innocent IV

Timeline

1. c. 1195–1226Genoa · LiguriaBorn into the Genoese noble Fieschi family, he received training in canon and civil law at Pavia, Bologna, and elsewhere, then entered the papal administrative system, laying the legal and administrative foundation for his later career as cardinal and pope.
2. 1227–1243Rome · LazioRaised to cardinal in 1227, he participated in Curia discussions of policy toward Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II during the 1230s; in 1235 he became cardinal-bishop of Albenga. Though not yet elected pope, he was already a member of the Curia's core decision-making circle, closely tied to the papal-imperial conflicts of the 1230s.
3. 1243–1244Rome · LazioElected after the brief reign of his predecessor Celestine IV, taking the name Innocent IV. He continued a hard line against Frederick II, but was forced to leave Rome in 1244 as the situation there deteriorated; the conflict between papal authority and the empire entered a new phase.
4. 1245–1254Lyon · Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesConvened the First Council of Lyon in 1245, issued decrees such as "Ad Apostolicae Dignitatis Apicem," declared Frederick II deposed, and mobilized a crusade. Thereafter he moved between France and Italy, continuing to oppose the empire through decrees and diplomacy until his death in 1254.