- Antipope Honorius II
:"Antipope Honorius II should not be confused with
Pope Honorius II ."Honorius II (died 1072), born Peter Cadalus, was an
antipope from 1061 to 1072. He was born atVerona and becamebishop of Parma in 1046. He died at Parma in 1072.After the death of
Pope Nicholas II (1059–61) in July 1061, two different groups met to elect a new Pope. The cardinals met under the direction of Hildebrand (who later becamePope Gregory VII ) and electedPope Alexander II (1061–73) onSeptember 30 ,1061 . Alexander II had been one of the leaders of the reform party in his role as Anselm the Elder,Bishop of Lucca . [web cite|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03128c.htm|title=Cadalous|work=Catholic Encyclopedia ]Twenty-eight days after Alexander II's election an assembly of German and Lombard bishops and notables opposed to the reform movement was brought together at
Basel by the Empress Agnes as regent for her son, Emperor Henry IV (1056–1105), and was presided over by the Imperial Chancellor Wilbert. They elected onOctober 28 ,1061 , the bishop of Parma,Cadalus , who assumed the name of Honorius II.With the support of the Empress and the nobles, in the spring of 1062 Honorius II, with his troops, marched towards
Rome to claim the papal seat by force. Bishop Benzo ofAlba helped his cause as imperial envoy to Rome, and Cadalus advanced as far asSutri . OnApril 14 a brief but bloody conflict took place at Rome, in which the forces of Alexander II lost and antipope Honorius II got possession of the precincts of St. Peter's.Duke Godfrey of Lorraine arrived in May of 1062, and induced both rivals to submit the matter to the King's decision. Honorius II withdrew to Parma and Alexander II returned to his see in Lucca, pending Godfrey's mediation with the German court and the advisers of the young German King, Henry IV.
In Germany, meanwhile, a revolution had taken place. Anno, the powerful
Archbishop of Cologne , had seized the regency, and the Empress Agnes retired to the convent atFructuaria inPiedmont . The chief authority in Germany passed to Anno, who was hostile to Honorius II.Having declared himself against Cadalus, the new regent at the
Council of Augsburg , (October, 1062), secured the appointment of an envoy to be sent to Rome for the purpose of investigating charges ofsimony against Alexander II. The envoy,Burchard II, Bishop of Halberstadt (Anno's nephew) found no objection to Alexander II's election. Alexander II was recognized as the lawful pontiff, and his rival, Cadalus (Honorius II), excommunicated in 1063.The antipope did not, however, abandon his claims. At a counter-
synod held at Parma he defied the excommunication. He gathered an armed force and once more proceeded to Rome, where he established himself in theCastel Sant'Angelo .The ensuing war between the rival Popes lasted for about a year. Honorius II eventually gave up, left Rome as a fugitive, and returned to Parma.
The
Council of Mantua , onPentecost ,May 31 ,1064 , ended the schism by formally declaring Alexander II to be the legitimate successor ofSt. Peter . Honorius II, however, maintained his claim to the papal chair to the day of his death in 1072.References
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