SEDE VACANTE

June 22, 1276—July 11, 1276

Background

In 1276 and 1277 there were five popes and four conclaves. Pope Innocent V (Peter of Tarantaise) died on June 22, 1276 in Rome. He was buried in the Lateran Basilica, and King Charles erected a magnificent porphyry tomb in his honor. He had created no new cardinals during his pontificate. Pope Gregory X's regulations for the conduct of a conclave  Ubi Periculum, promulgated at the Second Council of Lyons, were still in force. The papal throne was vacant for 18 days.

Cardinal Electors

.At the time of Innocent's death, there were thirteen or fourteen cardinals, though

• Bernard Ayglier, OSB, former abbot of Lerins and current Abbot of Monte Cassino (1263-1282), once Papal Legate to Constantinople, the only creation of Clement IV, did not attend (†1282). He was a strong partisan of King Charles of Anjou, and his brother was Archbishop of Naples. After the reunion of the eastern and western churches at the Lateran Council, he was sent by Gregory X as legate to the Emperor Michael Paleologus (Tosti, 30-31). He died on April 3, 1282 (Tosti, 32). Neither Tosti himself, nor the documents written by Bernard which he cites, ever refer to Bernard as a cardinal; indeed the letter from Viterbo says, "Sani sumus per Dei gratiam, et opera nostra in oculis Domini papae sunt et omnium dominorum nostrorum cardinalium gratiosa, bene procedunt, scilicet negotia, et procedent." Bernard's non-attendance at the Conclave in Arezzo in January, suspicious as it is, is nothing to his non-appearance in Rome for the July conclave on 1276.. Was Bernard ever a cardinal? What is the evidence?.
  
  
• Simon Mompitié de Brie (Brion), also called Simon de Tursso (Tours), Cardinal (1262-1281) priest of Santa Cecilia, future Pope Martin IV (1281-1285), did not attend. He was in France as Papal Legate. In September 1274, his mission to organize the crusade had been expanded to solicit aid in every country for the Holy Land; the Pope was asking for a tenth of ecclesiastical revenures for a term of six years (O. Posse, Analecta Vaticana p. 64, # 795, 806; 65, #808.) As in the January Conclave, the swiftness of the election would have made it impossible for Simon to be present. He was still in France in 1276, and presided over a synod at Bourges (Cardella, 304; Adolphe-Charles Peltier, Dictionnaire universel des conciles I, 358) on September 13, 1276 (Hefele, 176). Panvinio (174-175), however, states (as so often) in error that he was present both in January and in June.
  
  

There were, therefore, thirteen electors present at the Conclave in Rome::

1. Peter Julian (Giampietro Giuliani, or di Giuliano), of a noble family of Lisbon. He studied in Paris, and was adept in Aristotelianism, Astronomy and Medicine. On his return to Portugal, he was made canon and then Archbishop of Braga; Gregory X made him Cardinal Bishop of Tusculum. He participated in the Second Council of Lyon. He was the future Pope John XXII (1276-1277).
2. Vicedomino de Vicedomini, of Piacenza, Archbishop of Aix, he was in the suite of Charles of Anjou when he first came to Italy. He was the nephew of Pope Gregory X, who made him a Cardinal (December, 1273) and Bishop of Palestrina. He died in Viterbo on September 6, 1276 (Cardella, 2-3; Cristofori, 201, from the Annales of Piacenza) His family had old connections with the Fieschi of Genoa, one of his ancestors having been Podestà of Genoa in 1144 (Muratori Annali 18, 119)
3. Bertrand de Saint Martin, born in Arles, Benedictine, Archbishop of Arles in 1266, Cardinal Bishop of Sabina in 1273. He participated as cardinal in the Second Council of Lyons. †March 28, 1277 at Avignon. (Cardella, 8, says 1275)
   
   
4. Ancherius Pantaleoni, nephew of Pope Urban IV, Cardinal (1261) priest of Santa Prassede †1288 or 1286
5. Guilelmus (Guillaume) de Bray (or Brie), diocese of Reims, Cardinal (1262-1282) priest of S. Marco †1282
6. Simon Paltanieri, from Monselice near Padua, Cardinal (1261-1276) Priest of S. Silvestro e S. Martino ai Monti †1276
   
   
7. Ricardus Hannibaldi (Riccardo Annibaldi de Molaria, a Roman, Cardinal Deacon of Sancti Angeli in Pescheria (1237-1276). Leader of the Ghibelline party. Opponent of the Orsini.
8. Ioannes (Giovanni Gaetano Orsini), Cardinal (1244-1277) Deacon of S. Niccolo in Carcere, future Pope Nicholas III (1277-1280).
9. Ottobonus (Ottobono, Ottoboni) Fieschi, of Genoa, Cardinal (1251-1276) deacon of S. Adriano, nephew of Innocent IV and future Pope Adrian V (1276). His niece,Alagia de' Fieschi, was married to Moroello Malaspina, whose grandmother was a natural daughter of Emperor Fredrick II. Strongly Guelf, in opposition to the Doria and Spinola of Genoa, Ottobono Fieschi was acceptable to King Charles.
10. Godefridus (Geoffroy, Goffredo da Alatri in Lazio), Cardinal (1261-1287) Deacon of S. Giorgio in Velabro †1287.
11. Hubertus (Uberto D' Elci, of Siena), Cardinal (1261-1276) Deacon of S. Eustachius †1276
12. Iacobus (Giacomo Savelli), Cardinal (1261-1285) Deacon of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, future Pope Honorius IV (1285-1287)
13. Matteo Rosso Orsini, nephew of Gian Gaetano Orsini (future Nicholas III), Cardinal (1262-1305) Deacon of Santa Maria in Portico †1305 The Orsini had turned to supporting the claims of Rudolf of Austria to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor (Sternfeld, 225-228).