Pope Urban IV
Urban IV, civil Jacques Pantaleon (* before 1200 in Troyes, † October 2, 1264 in Perugia ), was from 1261 until his death Pope.
Clerical career
The father of Urban IV Schuster was in Troyes. He studied theology in Paris and was first canon in Laon, then archdeacon of Liege. Innocent IV entrusted him with a legation after the German East, where he led a Breslau Synod of the Ecclesiastical Province of Gniezno in 1248. 1251 Innocent IV made him Bishop of Verdun. That he sent managed these heavily indebted diocese, Alexander IV prompted her to make him in 1255 to the Patriarch of Jerusalem.
On August 29, 1261 he was elected to a full eight Cardinals only three -month-long conclave and crowned on September 4 of that year. Since he was not even elevated to cardinal, he did not belong in this conclave.
Pontificate
During his papacy resided Urban IV in Orvieto and Viterbo and Rome has never set foot. He continued the staufer hostile policies of his predecessors. King Manfred of Sicily made the Pope a financially strong with walled peace offering. For the Pope Manfred should recognize as King of Sicily. But the offer was denied by the distrust of the Hohenstaufen enemy Curia. The Pope now precipitated a disastrous decision for the papacy. Urban decided to Count Charles of Anjou, the warlike brother of the French king Louis IX. to borrow against the Saints with Sicily and laid in June in twenty-four articles, the conditions applicable. Through the alliance with France entered into this first French pope of the century, the French dependency of the papacy, which was to culminate in the Avignon papacy began. King Ludwig had already recognized the succession of the young Conradin of Swabia and disapproved Advertise the Pope to his brother. Although (or perhaps because) was known to the Pope of the reckless character of Charles of Anjou, he insisted on his investiture. On June 28, 1263 Pope declared in 1255 was made by his predecessor, Alexander IV, Edmund of Lancaster investiture of Sicily lapsed and transferred them in the Treaty of Viterbo on August 15, 1264 to Count Karl. The fact that this took no account of the wishes and expectations of the Pope, was shown when he is now the Roman senator immediately demanded from the pope for life. Well there was the Pope, even in his own words, " between Scylla and Charybdis ." So that the Pope had triggered a development that he could not overlook remotely.
In August 1261 the Latin Empire of Constantinople Opel had been reconquered by the Byzantines. Urban IV tried unsuccessfully then to launch a crusade to re- establishment of the kingdom.
On August 11, 1264, he ordered in the Bull Transiturus de hoc mundo Corpus Christi as a feast for the whole Church.
Legend
According to legend, it was Pope Urban IV, who has returned from the Venusberg Tannhäuser refused absolution because this could be as little healing as the priest staff would be able to blossom in his hand. In the legend of course the priest bar becomes green the papal dictum defiance, so the legend looks on Urban thrown IV damnation.