This week in Christian history: Chicago Catholic school fire, Rowan Williams elected archbishop

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, November 27, 2022

Pope Clement IV dies – Nov. 29, 1268

Pope Clement IV (circa 1190-1268), who ruled over the Roman Catholic Church for three years and was deeply involved in Italian politics. | Wikimedia Commons/Marianne Casamance

This week marks the anniversary of when Pope Clement IV, a Medieval head of the Roman Catholic Church known for his political maneuverings, died after serving only three years as pontiff.

Born Gui Foulques and ordained a Catholic priest following the death of his wife, Clement IV had been elected pope while on a diplomatic assignment in England.

Much of Clement IV’s brief reign centered on ending a rivalry with the German Hohenstaufen family regarding control and influence of the Italian peninsula.

“For military and financial help against King Manfred of Sicily, a Hohenstaufen, Clement made Charles of Anjou king of Naples and Sicily in 1266. Having defeated and killed Manfred, Charles helped Clement eradicate Duke Conradin of Swabia, allied with the Italian Ghibellines (anti-papal political party) in 1268,” according to Britannica.

“Clement’s participation in the political affairs of Italy and Germany, however, brought peace neither to Rome nor to Italy. The Angevin dynasty founded by Charles was a new threat to the papacy’s independence.”