Double papal election
September 7, 1159
Cardinals in Rome split bitterly between Alexander III and the imperial-backed Victor IV. Barbarossa convened a council at Pavia that ruled for Victor. The resulting schism lasted eighteen years and would drag Germany, Sicily, England, and France into an unwanted theological diplomatic mess. Every Christian kingdom was forced to choose sides, and the alignment of powers around the two claimants shaped European diplomacy for a generation.
In context
Also in 1159 (4 other events on record)
- Al-Idrisi's Tabula Rogeriana completed · Africa · Science
- John of Salisbury publishes Policraticus · Europe · Culture
- Kilij Arslan II reunifies the Sultanate of Rum · Middle East · Politics
- Adrian IV's letter to Barbarossa · Europe · Religion
Before and after in Europe
Before and after in Religion
Era
High Middle Ages (1000–1300), one of 1,306 events from that era on Saeculum.