NICHOLAS III

This article appears in Volume V19, Page 650 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

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NICHOLAS III . (Giovanni Gaetano Orsini),

pope

from the 25th ,of November 1277 to the 22nd of August 128o, was a Roman nobleman who had served under eight popes, been made cardinal-deacon of St Nicola in carcere Tulliano by Innocent IV.,

protector

PROTECTOR

of the

Franciscans

FRANCISCANS (otherwise called Friars Minor, or Minorites; also the Seraphic Order ; and in England Grey Friars, from the colour of the habit, which, however, is now brown rather than grey)

by Alexander IV., inquisitor-general by Urban IV., and succeeded John XXI., largely through family influence, after a six-months' vacancy in the Holy See. His brief pontificate was marked by several important events. A born politician, he greatly strengthened the papal position in Italy. He concluded a

concordat

CONCORDAT (Lat. concordatum, agreed upon, from con-, together, and cor, heart)

with Rudolph of

Habsburg

HABSBURG, or HAPSBURG

in May 1278, by which the Romagna and the exarchate of Ravenna were guaranteed to the

pope

; and in July he issued an epoch-making constitution for the government of Rome, which forbade foreigners taking civil office. Nicholas issued the

bull

Exiit on the 14th of August 1279 to settle the strife within the Franciscan order between the parties of strict and loose observance. He repaired the Lateran and the Vatican at enormous cost, and erected a beautiful country

house

HOUSE
HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in
Gothic
- GOTHIC
it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

at Soriano near Viterbo. Nicholas, though a man of learning and strength of character, brought just reproach on himself for his efforts to found principalities for his nephews and other relations. He died from a stroke of apoplexy and was succeeded by Martin IV.
See " Les Registres de Nicolas III.," published by Jules Gay in Bibliotheque des ecoles francaises d'Athenes et de Rome (Paris, 1898-1905) ; A. Potthast, Regesta pontif. Roman. vol. 2 (Berlin, 1875) ; A. Demski, " Papst Nikolaus III." in Kirchengeschichtliche Studien (Munster, i9o3); F. Gregorovius, Rome in the Middle Ages, vol. 5, trans. by Mrs G. W. Hamilton (London, 19001902); Fr. Wertsch, Die Beziehungen Rudolfs von

Habsburg

HABSBURG, or HAPSBURG

zur rom. Kurie bis zum Tode Nikolaus III. (Bochum, 188o) ; G. Palmieri, Introiti ed esiti di Papa Niccoib III. (Rome, 1889). (C. H. HA.)

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