INNOCENT VIII, Pope. - Born in Genoa in 1432, died in Rome between 25 and 26 July 1492. On the death of the pontiff Sixtus IV, in 1484, Rome was under arms and even the college of cardinals was divided into two groups, one headed by Rodrigo Borgia, who had the support of the Orsini, the other by Giuliano della Rovere supported by the Colonna; after various negotiations a sort of truce was reached, which allowed the Conclave to begin on 26 August in the Vatican in the presence of 25 cardinals, of whom only 4 were foreigners. Gian Battista Cibo was elected, aged 52, who in his youth had been raised at the court of Naples, had then become bishop of Savona, was subsequently transferred to Amalfi and had been elevated to the cardinalate in 1473; he was sickly, of amiable character, very hospitable, but without willpower and ready to entrust himself to anyone who knew how to persuade him.
His conduct in his youth had been quite reprehensible and at the time of his election two of his children were still alive, whom he loaded with riches and settled with excellent marriages (Franceschetto married the daughter of Lorenzo de' Medici); nor is it excluded that his election took place in a simoniacal manner. The coronation took place on 12 September with a solemn cavalcade to the Lateran that unfolded without incident. I. favored the arts, had the famous Belvedere in the Vatican and the villa of the Magliana built, embellished various churches; in his time the Pollaiuolo, the Pinturicchio, the Mantegna, the Lippi and the Perugino worked in Rome; the papal court was sumptuous but immoral and to meet the enormous expenses a thousand expedients were resorted to, multiplying offices and selling positions, which fell into the hands of unworthy holders, ready in turn to recoup themselves by extorting from the faithful of the various European countries, but arousing fierce protests everywhere. Add to this that the Pope's frequent illnesses often gave rise to rumors of his death with all the disorders that followed in the city on such occasions, the killings, the sackings and other outrages.
In politics I. was not consistent; at first he was driven to fight Ferdinand of Naples because this was in the interest of the Colonna, while the Orsini sided with the King; the Romans found themselves threatened by famine and had to fortify themselves within the walls, but after a long war conducted without conviction the party of peace prevailed, also owing to the intervention of the King of Spain and of Ludovico il Moro; on 12 September 1486 the agreements were published, which entailed some sacrifice on the Pope's part but restored tranquility to Rome. Later the dissensions between the Pontiff and the King of Naples resumed, who also appealed to a Council; he was therefore excommunicated and aid was sent from Rome to the rebellious barons; shortly before his death I. again came to an agreement with Ferdinand and this time Lorenzo de' Medici had influence over him, to whom the Pope had entrusted himself blindly after having been helped by the lord of Florence in his usual financial difficulties; one of the compensations was the purple for Lorenzo's very young son, Giovanni, who later became Leo X. Alongside Lorenzo, Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere enjoyed great prestige throughout the pontificate, to whose influence and machinations I. owed the tiara.
Among the other political acts of I. one may recall the recognition of Henry VII Tudor as king of England after the War of the Two Roses, and the granting of the title of Catholic king to Ferdinand of Aragon after the capture of Granada and the definitive expulsion of the Arabs from Spain. The Pope even stipulated a pact with the Turkish sultan Bajazid II although he had previously preached the crusade against him; the treaty (1489) established the granting of an annual tribute to I., who in return undertook not to stir up antagonists against the Sultan; and indeed the latter's brother was kept in a gilded prison in the Vatican.
Two acts that touch more closely on the religious field are the famous condemnation of the 900 theses of Pico della Mirandola (4 August 1486) and the equally celebrated condemnation of witchcraft (bull Summis desiderantes of 5 December 1484); to the first Pico responded with a self-defense, the second was followed by a campaign of the Dominican inquisitors in Germany against the guilty, a persecution that was not without exaggerated violence due to excessive credulity. - See plate IV.
