Pope from February 22, 1288 - April 4, 1292
Lived: September 30, 1227 - April 4, 1292
Birth name: Girolamo Masci
Who was this guy before he was pope?
Girolamo Masci was born in late 1227 in humble surroundings. He became a Franciscan friar as soon as he was able, but quickly was given more responsibility thanks to his intelligence and piety. He was sent to the East to invite the Orthodox brethren to attend the Second Council of Lyon in 1272. Girolamo was then elected to succeed St. Bonaventure as Minister General of the entire Franciscan Order in 1274. Four years later, Pope Nicholas III made Girolamo Cardinal-Priest of Santa Pudenziana, after which Pope Martin IV made him Bishop of Palestrina (1281).
Okay, give me the scoop on Nicholas IV.
Nicholas was such a humble man that it took getting elected twice for him to actually say yes. The conclave following Honorius IV’s death took well over a year, at which point the cardinals finally elected him in a unanimous vote. Nicholas, being reluctant to take the office, made his brother cardinals wait a week and hold another vote. It was only after a second unanimous vote, as well as a wish to be obedient to the Holy Spirit and the Church, that Nicholas finally agreed to claim the papacy.
As pope, Nicholas created a new batch of cardinals – among them his successor as Minister General of the Franciscans, as well as the Vice Chancellor of the Roman Church – and was a big patron of the arts, having been known to beautify and restore churches wherever possible. On the administrative side, Nicholas commissioned a document entitled Taxatio, meant to help regulate church taxes in England. Incredibly, it was used as a rubric until the rule of Henry VIII came about 300 years later.
Nicholas reigned as pope for a little over four years, dying on April 4, 1292. He was buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.
What was he known for?
Pope Nicholas IV was best known for continuing the (by now, rather tiresome) issue of who was the rightful successor of the kingdom of Sicily. Basically, it all came down to who would recognize the pope as suzerain, or sovereign leader, over that realm. That’s why Nicholas ultimately gave the crown to Charles II, son of the infamous King Charles of Anjou, and sought to boot James of Aragon from the throne. Thankfully, a treaty was reached between the two sides in 1291 to give Nicholas’ effort an additional rubber stamp.
Fun Fact...
There have been only four men to have been both pope and a member of the Franciscan order, and Nicholas IV was the first. There wouldn’t be another for nearly 200 years, until the election of Sixtus IV (1471).
What else was going on in the world at the time?
A law enacted in 1288 in Scotland noted that, for the first time ever, women were allowed to propose to men...but only in a leap year. Plus, if the guy refused, he was forced to pay a “spurned lover” fee for rejecting the potential bride. That’ll teach him.
Coming tomorrow....Pope St. Celestine V