Pope Nicholas II

Nicholas II, actually Gerhard of Burgundy, (* 990-995 probably in Savoy; † 19, 20, or July 27, 1061 in Florence) was Pope from December 6, 1058 until his death.

Life and the election to the papacy

Gerhard of Burgundy was born in 990-995 as a child of the Savoyard noble family Chevron Villette, who resided in Cháteau de Chevron at Mercury.

For the first time he is mentioned in 1045 as bishop of Florence. When Pope Stephen IX. died on April 4, 1058 in Florence, was of the Tuscan party in Rome immediately Johann Mincius, the Bishop of Velletri, as Benedict X appointed Pope. This appointment was contrary to the wishes of the late Pope, who had expressly determined on his death bed, to postpone the election of a new pope until the subdeacon Hildebrand had returned from his trip to Germany.

The Cardinals, who protested against this choice were forced to flee from Rome. After returning Hildebrand and at whose request (hence the name Pope ) chose this after the approval of the German court had arrived, probably on December 6, 1058 in Siena Gerhard as the new Pope Nicholas II on his way to Rome was a synod in Sutri under the protection of the Tuscan Marquis Duke Godfrey III. ( the Bearded ) and the German Chancellor held. Benedict was expelled from Rome and Nicholas II finally enthroned on January 24, 1059 in Rome.

Lateran Synod 1059

At Easter 1059 a synod was held in order to regulate future papal elections better Lateran without German participation. Result was the so-called papal election decree, with the also Nicholas ' own choice could be legitimized retrospectively. The decree tied the choice of express to the - albeit secondary - the consent of the Imperial Court.

Furthermore, were elaborated on this Synod decrees against simony and lay investiture. Priests were at the collegiate churches for which they were ordained, to live together with the other canons, eat and sleep, to bring about in this way by giving up their personal belongings and by ascetic way of life, a moral renewal of priestly life. Priests, where a " notorious concubinage " was shown, even the celebration of the Mass should be prohibited.

These decisions were welcomed by the so-called " reformers ", whose main representative was Peter Damian, the resulting saw the souls of the people in better hands. Also Hildebrand advocated as a target of the reformed papacy the model of a " primitive Church ," in which there is no discord, because the whole of Christendom will be connected in charitable love with each other. The leading figure of this spiritual and moral reform of St. Augustine rose to whose rules of life as the basis of this new order were the draft.

Policy towards the Normans

As allies to combat anti-Pope Nicholas II was able to win the previously hostile to the Normans in southern Italy for itself with the active support of Hildebrand. The Norman Richard of Aversa was confirmed as Prince of Capua. For this one could be made to Norman troops to combat Benedict in Campania.

In July and August 1059 a synod was finally in Melfi, the capital of Puglia, held, on which he enfeoffed the Norman Robert Guiscard having regard to papal title with Apulia, Calabria and Sicily for the case of recapture by the Saracens. In return this obligated, among other things to pay tribute to the Pope and the defense of the Roman bishopric, as well as ensuring free papal elections. Richard of Aversa, with a similar agreement was made, it was confirmed for his fealty to Nicholas as Prince of Capua and Robert Guiscard thus nominally equal.

After his return Nicholas was finally able to beat Benedict with the help of the Normans and force in the fall of 1059 to surrender.

The relationship to the German court

The relationship to the German court had been badly tarnished by the events of the year 1059. The Lehnsvergabe to the Normans and the limitation of the imperial law to Pope appointment to a granted privilege from the Pope and the further restriction that each imperial successor should be personally confirmed this law, weakened the influence of the Emperor sensitive in Italy. But with the Norman support in the back Nicholas could renew this provision at a synod in the Lateran in 1060. This procedure is called at the German yard out great annoyance, so that one could call an imperial synod in Germany in the same year, on which the imperial bishops had declared all arrangements of Nicholas invalid. Nicholas, however, refused to be intimidated by this approach and called another council in 1061 a on which the statements were of 1059 reaffirmed.

Death

Nicholas died on July 27, 1061 (according to other sources on the 19th or 20th of July) in Florence. He was buried in the local cathedral. Immediately after the news of his death sent the Roman nobility delegation to the German court, the seeking support for their candidate at Empress Agnes. Meanwhile, however, chose the college of cardinals in the Lateran on September 30, 1061 Anselm of Lucca Pope Alexander II By Reichsepiskopat and Empress Agnes was (probably without knowledge of the operations in Rome) Pietro Cadalus of Parma as Honorius II ( antipope ) as the new Pope appointed and confirmed in a ceremony on October 28, 1061 on a court day in Basel. This schism with the Catholic Church two popes was only on May 31, 1064 eliminated at the Synod of Mantua, which declared Honorius deposed and put under the spell. Nicholas II was considered cultured and morally blameless man, but had a number of people such as Hildebrand, Humbert of Silva Candida and Peter Damian to his advisers, who surpassed him according to the testimony of contemporaries to shine.