Anacletus II, Antipope

ANACLETO II, ANTIPOPE. — Belonging to one of the most illustrious families of Rome, Pietro Pierleoni, the grandson of a Jew converted at the time of Leo IX, went to Paris to study at the end of the eleventh century and then to Cluny, where he became a monk. He became a cardinal under Paschal II and greatly assisted this Pontiff and his successors during moments of grave difficulty for the Church; he was also legate in France and England. During the pontificate of Honorius II he remained in the background because his rivals, the Frangipani, were prevailing, but upon the death of that pope the schism long in preparation broke out violently. On 14 February 1130, with Honorius provisionally buried, a group of cardinals unexpectedly elected Gregory of S. Angelo in the church of S. Gregorio al Celio. Intro-

Enthroned in the Lateran, where he took the name Innocent II, the Pope shut himself up in the Frangipane fortress. But Pietro and his friends, considering the election illegal, proceeded to a new choice in S. Marco; 24 cardinals, the Roman aristocracy, and the people were present; Pietro was elected and took the name A. II. Riots followed, much gold was distributed by the wealthy Pierleoni, and both sides appealed to the sovereigns to obtain recognition of the legitimacy of their claim. The emperor Lothair immediately showed greater sympathy for Innocent, whereupon A. turned to Ruggero, duke of Sicily, and promised him the royal crown. For several years debates, councils, and struggles continued in Rome; s. Bernardo, an outspoken supporter of Innocent, wielded considerable influence. When Lothair descended into Italy in the spring of 1133, A. had to go on the defensive, but after the emperor’s departure he again became powerful, and Innocent fled to Pisa; even when he was able to return, S. Pietro and the Lateran remained in the power of the antipope. The death of A. (25 January 1138)

resolved the dispute; indeed, an attempt to renew the schism through the election of Victor IV failed. The question of legitimacy, which from the outset had remained obscure even to contemporaries, was clarified by the universal recognition of the Church in favor of Innocent.