Roman Catholic Pope. He was the 183rd pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Born Jacques Pantaleon, he arrived in Paris to study theology and law. Taking religious vows, he continued his studies, becoming a professor of canon law. In 1253, he was elevated to Archdeacon. Traveling to Germany at the request of Pope Innocent IV, he was tasked with restoring discipline in Silesia and to mediate a peace between the Teutonic Knights, a Catholic order, and the pagan Prussian clans. This negotiation resulted in the Treaty of Christburg. In short order, he was raised to Bishop of Verdun and three years later as Patriarch of Jerusalem. In Jerusalem he worked to negotiate a better situation for the Christians residing there. After the death of the former pope, Pantaleon was elected to succeed him in August of 1261. As Pope Urban IV, he was immediately confronted by weakening papal authority. The Kingdom of Sicily, although a papal fief, was being claimed by Manfred, the heir of the Hohenstaufen Dynasty. Urban had offered the Sicilian throne to Charles of Anjou, but the growing anti-papal mood in Tuscany and Lombardy complicated negotiations. He also attempted to reconcile the ongoing conflict between the Archbishop of Lund and the Dowager Queen in Denmark over Church authority in that country. Before he could resolve the issues with Denmark and Sicily, he died at Perugia. During his papacy, the Feast of Corpus Christi was established. It was first celebrated as a local feast in Liege and adopted by Urban for the church at large.
Roman Catholic Pope. He was the 183rd pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Born Jacques Pantaleon, he arrived in Paris to study theology and law. Taking religious vows, he continued his studies, becoming a professor of canon law. In 1253, he was elevated to Archdeacon. Traveling to Germany at the request of Pope Innocent IV, he was tasked with restoring discipline in Silesia and to mediate a peace between the Teutonic Knights, a Catholic order, and the pagan Prussian clans. This negotiation resulted in the Treaty of Christburg. In short order, he was raised to Bishop of Verdun and three years later as Patriarch of Jerusalem. In Jerusalem he worked to negotiate a better situation for the Christians residing there. After the death of the former pope, Pantaleon was elected to succeed him in August of 1261. As Pope Urban IV, he was immediately confronted by weakening papal authority. The Kingdom of Sicily, although a papal fief, was being claimed by Manfred, the heir of the Hohenstaufen Dynasty. Urban had offered the Sicilian throne to Charles of Anjou, but the growing anti-papal mood in Tuscany and Lombardy complicated negotiations. He also attempted to reconcile the ongoing conflict between the Archbishop of Lund and the Dowager Queen in Denmark over Church authority in that country. Before he could resolve the issues with Denmark and Sicily, he died at Perugia. During his papacy, the Feast of Corpus Christi was established. It was first celebrated as a local feast in Liege and adopted by Urban for the church at large.
Bio by: Winter Birds PA
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