SILVESTRO IV, ANTIPOPE. — Maginulf, a Roman archpriest. During the conflict over investitures with Enrico IV, Pasquale II had pronounced excommunication against him.
The Emperor’s partisans took advantage of Pasquale’s absence from Rome to place him on the throne as pope (18 Nov. 1105), under the name of Silvestro IV. He fell into Pasquale’s hands and abdicated on the orders of Enrico IV. At the time of the signing of the Concordat with Enrico V, the antipope had to renew his abdication and promised obedience to Pasquale II (Apr. 1111).
BIBL.: J. M. Vatterich, Pontificum Romanorum qui fuerunt im.e ab exeunte saec. IX usque ad finem saec. XIII vitae, II, Lipsia 1862, pp. 4, 68 and 90. Guglielmo Mollat