Antipope Victor IV (1159–1164) facts for kids

Victor IV (born Octavian or Octavianus) was an antipope from 1159 to 1164. An antipope is someone who claims to be the Pope but is not recognized by the main Roman Catholic Church. He was born Octaviano dei Crescenzi Ottaviani di Monticelli in 1095 and died on April 20, 1164.

Victor IV was chosen by a group of church leaders after Pope Adrian IV died. This happened at the same time as another Pope, Alexander III, was elected. Victor IV had strong support from Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. He chose the name Victor IV, even though there had been an earlier antipope with the same name in 1138. The church did not consider that earlier Victor IV to be a real pope.

Early Life and Church Work

Octaviano Monticelli came from a very powerful family in Italy. In 1137, he became a leader in the city of Benevento. The next year, he was made a cardinal priest for a church in Rome. By 1151, he became the cardinal priest of Santa Cecilia.

A writer named John of Salisbury said that Octaviano was good at speaking and very proper. However, he also said Octaviano could be a bit small-minded. Once, when Octaviano was sent to Germany to invite Conrad III of Germany to be crowned Emperor, he argued with his fellow church official. This made the church look a bit silly. While in Germany, he met Frederick, who would soon become Emperor Frederick Barbarossa.

His Time as Pope

How He Was Chosen

After Pope Adrian IV passed away, the group of cardinals who elect the Pope, called the College of Cardinals, met to choose a new leader. During the election in September 1159, they chose a man named Rolando. He became Alexander III.

However, a smaller group of five cardinals, along with some church leaders and people from Rome, did not agree with this choice. On September 7, 1159, they chose their own candidate, Octaviano. He was very popular because he was generous, easy to talk to, and lived in a grand way. He was also seen as a good friend to the Germans. He hoped for support from Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. The Emperor was busy with a war at the time. He probably didn't want two popes, even though he didn't like Alexander III.

Becoming Pope

Victor IV was officially made Pope on October 4, 1159. This ceremony happened in the abbey of Farfa. Cardinal-Bishop Imar of Tusculum led the ceremony. With help from Otto von Wittelsbach and his own armed groups, Victor IV quickly took control of Rome. Meanwhile, Alexander III had to leave the city and found safety in the Kingdom of Sicily, and later in France.

Meeting at Pavia

Both popes sent their representatives to different kingdoms to get support. At first, the Emperor Frederick was neutral. He asked church leaders not to pick a side yet. He said the church itself should decide.

Victor IV, as the head of the church in the Emperor's eyes, called for a big meeting of church leaders, called a synod, in Pavia in February 1160. The Emperor asked Alexander III to come to Pavia and accept his decision. Alexander III refused, saying that the Pope should only be judged by God.

Emperor Frederick I then decided to support Victor IV. As expected, the synod in Pavia also chose Victor. They even said that Alexander was no longer part of the church. On February 11, 1160, the meeting ended with a procession to the Pavia Cathedral. There, the Emperor met Victor. As a sign of respect, the Emperor helped Victor off his horse, led him to the altar, and kissed his feet. Most of the church leaders in the Emperor's lands followed this decision. However, not everyone in Germany agreed. Bishop Eberhard of Salzburg was a strong opponent of Victor. In return, Alexander officially removed both Frederick I and Victor IV from the church.

Who Supported Whom

Valdemar I of Denmark, the King of Denmark, also supported Victor IV. But the main church leader in Denmark, Archbishop Eskil of Lund, supported Alexander III. It seems that Poland also supported Victor IV.

However, Alexander III managed to get support from most of western Europe. Since the time of Pope Gregory VII, the Pope's power over the church in different countries had grown a lot. The kings of France and England did not want the Emperor to control the Pope again. So, France, England, Castile, Sweden, Norway, Scotland, Hungary, Sicily, and the Crusader states in the Middle East recognized Alexander III as the true Pope. Even so, some people in these countries, including church leaders and rulers, still supported Victor. This split in the church across Europe was now a clear fact.

In 1162, King Louis VII of France was unsure again. Frederick tried to arrange a meeting with Louis VII to decide who should be Pope. Louis went close to the meeting place. But when he realized that Frederick had set things up to favor Alexander, Louis decided not to attend. Because of this, the problem was not solved then. This difficult meeting made King Louis firmly support Alexander. From 1162 to 1165, Alexander lived in France. From 1163, he worked to gain more support in Germany.

Death

The uncertainty about who was the real Pope ended on April 20, 1164. On that day, Victor IV died in Lucca while traveling. When Pope Alexander III heard that his rival had died, he cried. He told his cardinals off when they seemed happy about it.

The church leaders in Lucca Cathedral and San Frediano would not let Victor IV be buried there. This was because he had been removed from the church. So, he was buried in a local monastery. Later, people reported miracles happening at his tomb. But Pope Gregory VIII ordered the tomb to be destroyed in December 1187. Victor's replacement as antipope was Paschal III.

See Also

In Spanish: Víctor IV (antipapa) para niños

• Papal selection before 1059
• Papal conclave (since 1274)