The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church - Biographical Dictionary

The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church

Biographical Dictionary
Pope Innocent III (1198-1216)
Consistory of December 1200 (II)
Celebrated in Rome

(3) 1. GREGORIO (?-1216)

Birth. (No date or place found).

Education. (No information found).

Cardinalate. Created cardinal bishop of Sabina in the consistory of December 1200 or in 1204 (1). He is cited in the Register of Pope Innocent III. Charged by the pope with the reestablishment of the peace between the Guelphs and the Ghibellins in Orvieto; he was successful in his mission.

Death. 1216, (no place found). Buried (no information found).

Bibliography. Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1792, I, pt. 2, 209; Chacón, Alfonso. Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm ab initio nascentis Ecclesiæ vsque ad Vrbanvm VIII. Pont. Max. 2 volumes. Romae : Typis Vaticanis, 1677, II, col. 30; "Essai de liste générale des cardinaux. Les cardinaux du XIIIè siècle". Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1929. Paris : Maison de la Bonne Presse, 1929, p. 110; Eubel, Conradus and Gulik, Guglielmus van. Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi. Volumen I (1198-1431). Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1913; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1960, p. 5, note 1.

(1) Eubel, Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi, I, 5, note 5, says that since he did not subscribe any papal bulls, his promotion is doubtful; the same source, I, 37, note 1, says that some authors affirm that Cardinal Gregorio occupied the see of Sabina at the time of the pontificate of Pope Innocent III. Cardella, Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa, I, pt. 2, 209; Chacón, Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm, II, col. 30, say that he was created cardinal in 1211.

(4) 2. BENEDETTO (?-1216)

Birth. (No date or place found).

Education. (No information found).

Cardinalate. Created cardinal deacon of S. Maria in Domnica in a consistory in 1200. Subscribed a papal bull issued on November 11, 1200. Subscribed the papal bulls issued between November 23, 1201 and April 20, 1212. Opted for the order of cardinal priests and the title of S. Susanna in 1201. Legate in Constantinople after it was conquered by Emperor Badouin in 1204.

Episcopate. Opted for the order of cardinal bishops and the suburbicarian see of Porto e Santa Rufina in 1212. Consecrated (no information found). Subscribed the papal bulls issued between October 26, 1213 and March 7, 1216. Participated in the papal election of 1216, in which was elected Pope Honorius III.

Death. Shortly after July 18, 1216, Rome. Buried (no information found).

Bibliography. Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1792, I, pt. 2, 194; Chacón, Alfonso. Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm ab initio nascentis Ecclesiæ vsque ad Vrbanvm VIII. Pont. Max. 2 volumes. Romae : Typis Vaticanis, 1677, II, col. 19-20; "Essai de liste générale des cardinaux. Les cardinaux du XIIIè siècle". Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1929. Paris : Maison de la Bonne Presse, 1929, p. 110; Eubel, Conradus and Gulik, Guglielmus van. Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi. Volumen I (1198-1431). Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1913; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1960, pp. 3, 36, 48 and 51.

(5) 3. BRANCALEONE, Can. Reg. di S. Frediano of Lucca, Leone (?-ca 1230)

Birth. (No date found), Rome.

Education. Joined the Canons Regular of S. Frediano of Lucca.

Priesthood. Ordained (no further information found).

Cardinalate. Created cardinal deacon of S. Lucia in Septisolio in the consistory of December 1200. Subscribed a papal bull issued on March 9, 1202. Opted for the order of cardinal priests and the title of S. Croce in Gerusalemme in 1202. Subscribed the papal bulls issued between March 19, 1202 and April 13, 1216; and August 12, 1216 and May 23, 1224. Legate in Bulgaria, where, in 1204, he crowned Emperor Caloyan, king of the Bulgarians and of the Blackeners. Legate in Germany and Saxony, in 1207 and 1209 , with Cardinal Ugolino dei conti di Segni, to mediate between Otto von Saxony and Philipp von Swabia. Legate in Hungary. Participated in the papal election of 1216, in which was elected Pope Honorius III. He was a good friend of Francesco d'Assisi, future saint, and great promoter of his order. Participated in the papal election of 1227, in which was elected Pope Gregory IX. Cardinal primoprete in 1228.

Death. Ca. August 25, 1230, Rome. Buried (no information found).

Bibliography. Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1792, I, pt. 2, 195; Chacón, Alfonso. Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm ab initio nascentis Ecclesiæ vsque ad Vrbanvm VIII. Pont. Max. 2 volumes. Romae : Typis Vaticanis, 1677, II, col. 20-21; "Essai de liste générale des cardinaux. Les cardinaux du XIIIè siècle". Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1929. Paris : Maison de la Bonne Presse, 1929, p. 110; Eubel, Conradus and Gulik, Guglielmus van. Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi. Volumen I (1198-1431). Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1913; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1960, pp. 4, 41 and 50; Paravicini Bagliani, Agostino. Cardinali di curia e "familiae" cardinalizie. Dal 1227 al 1254. 2 vols. Padova, Antenore, 1972. (Italia sacra, 18-19, I, 14).

Webgraphy. Biography by Janos M. Bak, in Italian, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 13 (1971), Treccani; biography, in Italian, Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica da s. Pietro sino sino ai nostri giorni by Gaetano Moroni, vol. 6, p. 93, 1840, Google Books; his arms, Araldica Vaticana.

(6) 4. MATTEO (?-1205)

Birth. (No date or place found).

Education. No information found).

Cardinalate. Created cardinal deacon of S. Teodoro in the consistory of December 1200. Subscribed the papal bulls issued between November 11, 1200 and May 30, 1205.

Death. Shortly after August 8, 1205, (no place found). Buried (no information found).

Bibliography. Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1792, I, pt. 2, 195; Chacón, Alfonso. Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm ab initio nascentis Ecclesiæ vsque ad Vrbanvm VIII. Pont. Max. 2 volumes. Romae : Typis Vaticanis, 1677, II, col. 21; "Essai de liste générale des cardinaux. Les cardinaux du XIIIè siècle". Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1929. Paris : Maison de la Bonne Presse, 1929, p. 110; Eubel, Conradus and Gulik, Guglielmus van. Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi. Volumen I (1198-1431). Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1913; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1960, pp. 4 and 52; Necrologi e libri affini della Provincia romana. A cura di Pietro Egidi. Roma : Forzani e c., tipografi del Senato, 1908-1914. (Fonti per la storia d'Italia, pub. dall' Istituto storico italiano; 44- Antichità. Secoli XI-), I,168, note 2.

(7) 5. SEGNI, Giovanni dei conti di (?-1213)

Birth. (No date found), Anagni. Second son of Gregorio dei conti di Segni. Nephew of Pope Innocent III. His family also gave the Church Popes Gregory IX, Alexander IV and Innocent XIII. Other members of the family promoted to the cardinalate were Ottaviano dei conti di Segni (1205); Andrea Conti, O.F.M. (quasi-cardinal); Lucido Conti (1411) (pseudocardinal); Giovanni Conti (1483); Francesco Conti (1517). Carlo Conti (1604); Giannicolò Conti (1664); and Bernardo Maria Conti, O.S.B.Cas. (1721). He is also listed as Giovanni Conti.

Education. (No information found).

Early life. Papal chaplain. Auditor of the Sacred Roman Rota.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal deacon of S. Maria in Cosmedin in the consistory of December 1200. Subscribed the papal bulls issued between December 10, 1201 and May 6, 1206. Legate in Orvieto. Vice-chancellor of the Holy Roman Church. in 1205. Cardinal protodeacon in 1210.

Death. Between May 31 and June 14, 1213, (no place found). Buried (no information found).

Bibliography. Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1792, I, pt. 2, 195-196; Chacón, Alfonso. Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm ab initio nascentis Ecclesiæ vsque ad Vrbanvm VIII. Pont. Max. 2 volumes. Romae : Typis Vaticanis, 1677, II, col. 21-22; "Essai de liste générale des cardinaux. Les cardinaux du XIIIè siècle". Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1929. Paris : Maison de la Bonne Presse, 1929, p. 110; Eubel, Conradus and Gulik, Guglielmus van. Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi. Volumen I (1198-1431). Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1913; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1960, pp. 4 and 51.

Webgraphy. His engraving and biography, in Italian, Wikipedia; his engraving and arms, Araldica Vaticana.