Pope Urban IV facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pope Urban IV |
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|---|---|
| Bishop of Rome | |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Papacy began | 29 August 1261 |
| Papacy ended | 2 October 1264 |
| Predecessor | Alexander IV |
| Successor | Clement IV |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | 4 September 1261 |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Jacques Pantaléon |
| Born | c. 1195 Troyes, Champagne, Kingdom of France |
| Died | 2 October 1264 (aged 68–69) Perugia, Papal States |
| Previous post |
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| Coat of arms |  |
| Other Popes named Urban | |
Pope Urban IV (born Jacques Pantaléon; around 1195 – October 2, 1264) was the leader of the Catholic Church. He was also the ruler of the Papal States from August 29, 1261, until he died.
Interestingly, he was not a cardinal when he became pope. Only a few popes since his time have been chosen without first being cardinals.
Early Life and Career
Jacques Pantaléon was born in Troyes, France. His father was a cobbler, someone who makes or repairs shoes. Jacques studied to become a priest and learned about laws in Paris.
He became a church official in different places, including Laon and Liège. At an important church meeting called the First Council of Lyon in 1245, he caught the attention of Pope Innocent IV. This Pope sent him on two important trips to Germany. One of these trips was to help create a peace treaty between the pagan Prussians and the Teutonic Knights.
In 1253, he became the Bishop of Verdun. Then, in 1255, Pope Alexander IV made him the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. This was a very important church role in the Middle East.
Pantaléon had returned from Jerusalem, which was facing big problems at the time. He was in Viterbo trying to get help for Christians in the East when Pope Alexander IV died. After a three-month period when there was no pope, Pantaléon was chosen by eight important church leaders to be the next pope. This happened on August 29, 1261. He chose the name Urban IV for his time as pope.
Key Events as Pope
Just a month before Urban IV became pope, the Latin Empire of Constantinople fell. This empire, which was created during the Fourth Crusade against the Byzantines, was taken over by the Byzantines led by Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos. Pope Urban IV tried to start a new crusade to get the Latin Empire back, but he was not successful.
In 1262, Urban IV started the building of the Basilica of St. Urbain, Troyes, in his hometown.
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One of Urban IV's most famous actions was creating the festival of Corpus Christi. This feast, which celebrates the Body of Christ, was officially started on August 11, 1264. He asked Thomas Aquinas, a famous Dominican theologian, to write the special songs and prayers for this new feast. These included well-known hymns like the Pange lingua and Tantum ergo.
Urban IV also got involved in the politics of Denmark. Jakob Erlandsen, the Archbishop of Lund, wanted the Danish Church to be independent from the king's power. This led to a disagreement with the Queen, Margaret Sambiria, who was ruling for her young son, King Eric V of Denmark. The Queen put the Archbishop in prison. Both sides asked the Pope for his support. Urban IV agreed to some things the Queen wanted, like allowing women to inherit the Danish throne. However, the main issues were not solved before Urban IV died.
The Pope was mostly focused on the situation in Italy. There had been a long conflict with the German Emperor Frederick II. After Frederick's death, his heir Manfred was involved in struggles between different Italian cities.
Urban IV wanted to stop Manfred's power. He decided to bring Charles of Anjou into the picture. Charles was the Count of Provence and had a lot of resources. Urban IV wanted Charles to become the king of Kingdom of Sicily, which would be under the Pope's influence.
For two years, Urban IV talked with Manfred about whether Manfred would help the Latins get Constantinople back. At the same time, the Pope made a deal with Charles. Charles promised not to claim lands in northern Italy or the Papal States. He also agreed to pay a yearly tribute to the Pope. In return, the Pope would help Charles become King of Sicily and try to prevent Conradin from becoming the German King.
Pope Urban IV died in Perugia on October 2, 1264, before Charles of Anjou arrived in Italy. His successor, Pope Clement IV, continued the agreement with Charles.
There is a story that the Pope's death was connected to the Great Comet of 1264. It is said he became sick around the time the comet appeared and died when it disappeared.
The Legend of Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser was a famous German poet and singer who lived around the same time as Pope Urban IV. The Pope died in 1264, and Tannhäuser died shortly after 1265. About two centuries later, a legend grew around Tannhäuser, and Pope Urban IV became an important character in it.
In this legend, Tannhäuser is a knight and poet who finds the Venusberg, a magical underground home of the goddess Venus. He spends a year there worshipping her. After leaving, Tannhäuser feels very bad about his sins. He travels to Rome to ask Pope Urban IV if he can be forgiven.
Pope Urban IV tells him that forgiveness is as impossible as it would be for his dry papal staff to grow green leaves. Three days after Tannhäuser leaves, the Pope's staff actually begins to grow new leaves! Messengers are sent to find the knight, but he has already returned to Venusberg and is never seen again. The legend says that because the Pope refused to forgive a truly sorry person, he was cursed forever.
See also
In Spanish: Urbano IV para niños
