Christ's Faithful People
Christ's Faithful People
1285 - 1287 AD
Giacomo Savelli, a man so crippled that he had to say Mass sitting down, was chosen to succeed Martin IV. But if Giacomo was crippled in body, his mind was vigorous. He was chosen pope the second day after Pope Martin's funeral, a quick election indeed. The cardinals wanted no repetition in Perugia of the mob violence of Viterbo. Cardinal Savelli took the name Honorius IV after his granduncle, Honorius III.
Giacomo Savelli was born of a famous old Roman family. He pursued at least some of his studies at the University of Paris, an institution for which he had the highest regard. Created cardinal in 1261 by Pope Urban IV, Giacomo played a prominent part in top-level papal diplomacy. He was one of the cardinals delegated to invest Charles of Anjou with the crown of Sicily in 1265. He served on the compromise committee of cardinals which chose Gregory X to break the long deadlock after the death of Clement IV. He conducted negotiations with Emperor Rudolf of Hapsburg under Popes Gregory X, Hadrian V, and Nicholas III.
After his election Honorius returned the papal court to Rome, where he was highly popular. A true Roman, he tried to improve the city and to rule the papal kingdom efficiently.
Honorius was a mild man, quick to forgive, quick to remove ecclesiastical censures. He removed an interdict from Venice. He tried to bring peace to bitterly quarreling Genoa and Pisa. His gentle firmness succeeded in bringing about the repeal of objectionable laws in Florence and Bergamo.
This mild policy brought success, but mildness and success both stopped short of Sicily. Honorius continued Martin IV's unrelenting policy toward the Aragonese and the Sicilians, and that policy remained ineffectual and unfortunate.
Martin IV had deposed Peter III of Aragon in favor of Charles of Valois, younger son of Philip III of France. In 1285 Philip led a large army across the Pyrenees. Edward of England pleaded with Pope Honorius to help put an end to this disastrous strife between Christians, but Honorius firmly refused. Philip died; his army accomplished nothing. Peter of Aragon died shortly after. His son James clung to Sicily in spite of Franco-papal force and excommunication and interdict. Edward, eager for a real crusade, tried once more for peace. In vain. By now Charles of Anjou was dead, and his son and heir, Charles of Salerno, a prisoner in Sicilian hands, was willing to renounce his claim to Sicily and content himself with Naples. It looked at last as if peace were at hand; but the Pope would not allow it! And meanwhile money needed for a real crusade was being collected in the face of bitter grumbling to carry on this miserable little fight.
Honorius was not notably pro-French, but he had a strong Guelf background. Above all, he had a legal mind. To him the Sicilians were wrong, and that was all there was to it.
Honorius did show a lively interest in missionary activity. He sent prospective missionaries to study at the University of Paris. He fostered the study of oriental languages. Honorius was not strong enough to check the trend toward the abuse of plurality of benefices. He was a good man, but scarcely a great pope. He died in Rome on April 3, 1287.
