Pope Innocent VIII

Innocent VIII. (* 1432 in Genoa, † July 25, 1492 in Rome), actually Giovanni Battista Cibo, was Pope from 29 August 1484 to July 25, 1492 The Pope name refers to Innocent IV, who was also from Genoa.

Life

Cibo was in 1467 Bishop of Savona and in 1472 bishop of Molfetta. He was raised on May 7, 1473 by Pope Sixtus IV to the cardinal with the title of Church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere.

The man who became known as Innocent VIII in Church history, his election secured by bribing the cardinals in the night before the decision. His election on August 29, 1484 was largely determined by simony. The papal policy Giuliano della Rovere with certain essential, a nephew of his predecessor Sixtus IV Della Rovere was himself later Pope Julius II and was called

Cibo was known by a few glorious attitude, especially by promoting the Inquisition and witch hunts with the Bull Summis desiderantes from 1484. Caused you, especially in Germany, a strong increase of witch trials. Thus, this dark chapter of church history reached its climax, exacerbated by the 1487 published by Heinrich Institoris under alleged involvement of Jakob Sprenger Malleus.

Innocent was a weak and dependent personal Pope, which was attributed not only to his ailing health. Due to ongoing financial problems he was sometimes even forced to mortgage the miter and the papal tiara and parts Kronschatzes.

Innocent also maintained good relations with the Sublime Porte, however, mainly hinzielten to improve the financial situation. In return for annual payments of tribute and gifts, including a Holy Lance, whose brother was imprisoned for Cem Sultan Bayezid II.

The fact that his date of death of Girolamo Savonarola was correctly predicted, meant that this charismatic preacher who denounced the abuses of the Papal States violently, received an even larger inflow.

Politically Innocent's tenure was also marked by the dispute with King Ferrante of Naples, who had denied him the Lehnszins, was militarily but overpowering. In addition, the Pope, the French king Charles VIII came as agreed to help. So Innocent was forced to close in August 1486 Ferrante peace that but this broke again. Only through the double wedding of his 35 - year-old son Franceschetto Cibo (which he had witnessed at the age of 16 years with a simple girl ) with a Medici, the 14-year Maddalena, daughter of Lorenzo I de ' Medici ( 1449-1492 ) and his granddaughter with an uncle Ferrante was the war erupted again in 1492 be finally settled.

According to the diary urbis Romae of the anti-papal chronicler Stefano Infessura is Innocent shortly before his death, after he had fallen into a coma, have received from his Jewish personal physician, the blood of thirteen- year-old boy in order to gain their youth. The children reported to have died from the effects of bloodletting. The truth of this horrible story is not backed up.

Innocent left many children ( Octo nocens pueros genuit, totidemque puellas; hunc mérito poterit dicere Roma Patrem - "Eight boys he fathered useless, as many girls; him is Rome can rightly call Father" ) and his nepotism in their favor was so wasteful how shameless. His descendants were the Dukes of Massa and Carrara.