Pope Honorius IV: Encyclopedia II - Pope Honorius IV - Early career

Pope Honorius IV - Early career

Savelli studied at the University of Paris, during which time he held a prebend and a canonry at the cathedral of Châlons-sur-Marne. Later he obtained the benefice of rector at the church of Berton, in the Diocese of Norwich, in England, a nation he never visited.

In 1261 he was created Cardinal Deacon of Santa Maria in Cosmedin by Pope Urban IV, who also appointed him papal prefect in Tuscany and captain of the papal army. Cardinal Savelli pursued a diplomatic career. Pope Clement IV sent him and three other cardinals to invest Charles of Anjou as King of Sicily at Rome on 28 July 1265. After the long deadlocked vacancy in the papal see after Clement's death, a vacant seat of three years, he was one of the six cardinals who finally elected Pope Gregory X by compromise on 1 September 1271, in a conclave held at Viterbo because conditions in Rome were too turbulent.

In 1274 he accompanied Gregory X to the Council of Lyons where it was established that only four mendicant orders were to be tolerated: Dominicans, Franciscans, Augustinians and Carmelites. In July, 1276, he was one of the three cardinals whom Pope Adrian V sent to Viterbo with instructions to treat with the German king, Rudolf I (of the House of Habsburg), concerning his imperial coronation at Rome and his future relations towards Charles of Anjou, King of Sicily, whom papal policy supported. The death of Adrian in the following month rendered fruitless the negotiations with Rudolf.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Early career", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki