Papal election, 1154

The papal election of 1154 followed the death of Pope Anastasius IV and resulted in the election of Pope Adrian IV, the only Englishman to become pope.

Election of Adrian IV

Pope Anastasius IV died on December 3, 1154, at Rome, at a very advanced age. The College of Cardinals assembled in the Vatican Basilica on the next day to elect his successor. On December 4, 1154, the cardinals unanimously elected Cardinal-Bishop of Albano Nicholas Breakspeare, former legate in Scandinavia (1152-1153).^[1] He took the name Adrian IV and was crowned on December 5, 1154 in the Vatican Basilica. He is the only English pope in history.^[2]

Cardinal-electors

There were probably 30 cardinals in the Sacred College of Cardinals at the beginning of December 1154,^[3] but it seems that no more than 25 (perhaps even fewer) participated in the election:

Five electors were created by Pope Innocent II, four by Pope Celestine II, five by Pope Lucius II, eleven by Pope Eugenius III.

Absentees

At least five cardinals did not participate in this election. Cardinal Giacinto Bobone is known to have been in Spain at that time; he served there as papal legate from the spring of 1154 until the end of 1155.^[4] Cardinal Odone Bonecase was employed as legate in France in 1154/55.^[5] Gerard de Namur was legate in Germany,^[6] while Ildebrando in Lombardy.^[7] Abbot Rainaldo of Montecassino was not a resident of Roman Curia:^[8]

Notes

Sources

• Salvador Miranda Papal election of 1154
• Robinson, Ian Stuart (1990). The Papacy, 1073–1198: Continuity and Innovation. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521264987. 
• Jaffé, Philipp (1851). Regesta pontificum Romanorum ab condita Ecclesia ad annum post Christum natum MCXCVIII. Berlin. 
• Brixius, Johannes M. (1912). Die Mitglieder des Kardinalkollegiums von 1130–1181. Berlin. 
• Zenker, Barbara (1964). Die Mitglieder des Kardinalkollegiums von 1130 bis 1159. Würzburg. 

Papal elections Pope Papal selection before 1059 Papal conclave (since 1274) 11th century 1061 1073 1086 1088 1099 12th century 1118 1119 1124 1130 1143 1144 1145 1153 1154 1159 1181 1185 Oct. 1187 Dec. 1187 1191 1198 13th century 1216 1227 1241 1243 1254 1261 1264–65 1268–71 Jan. 1276 July 1276 Sept. 1276 1277 1280–81 1285 1287–88 1292–94 1294 14th century 1303 1304–05 1314–16 1334 1342 1352 1362 1370 1378 1389 15th century 1404 1406 1417 1431 1447 1455 1458 1464 1471 1484 1492 16th century Sept. 1503 Oct. 1503 1513 1521–22 1523 1534 1549–50 April 1555 May 1555 1559 1565–66 1572 1585 Sept. 1590 Oct.–Dec. 1590 1591 1592 17th century March 1605 May 1605 1621 1623 1644 1655 1667 1669–70 1676 1689 1691 1700 18th century 1721 1724 1730 1740 1758 1769 1774–75 1799–1800 19th century 1823 1829 1830–31 1846 1878 20th century 1903 1914 1922 1939 1958 1963 Aug. 1978 Oct. 1978 21st century 2005 2013