ADRIAN V, POPE

Pontificate: July 11, 1276, to Aug. 18, 1276; b. Ottobono Fieschi, Genoa, Italy, early 13th century; d. Viterbo, Italy. He came from an influential Italian family and was created cardinal deacon of S. Hadrian by his uncle, Pope innocent iv, in September 1244. In May 1265 he was sent to England as the envoy of Pope clement iv to defend the rights of the Holy See there and to resolve the conflict between King henry iii and his barons. He successfully completed this task and returned in June 1268 to the Roman curia, where he worked in support of the Angevin policy in Italy. Elected to the papacy on the death of innocent v, he died before he could receive either ordination to the priesthood or episcopal consecration. His attempt to repeal the second canon of the Second Council of lyons concerning papal elections was ignored by his successors. Adrian was buried in the basilica of S. Francesco at Viterbo, where his epitaph may still be seen.

Bibliography: r. graham, "Letters of Cardinal Ottoboni," English Historical Review 15 (1900) 87–120. Liber pontificalis, ed. l. duchesne, 2:457. n. schÖpp, Papst Hadrian V (Heidelberg 1916). a. vacant, Dictionnaire de théologie catholique 1.1:458–459. É. griffe, Catholicisme 5:476–477. a. potthast, Regesta pontificum romanorum inde ab a. 1198 ad a. 1304 2: 1709–10. f. x. seppelt, Geschichte der Päpste von den Anfängen bis zur Mitte des 20. Jh. 3:536–540. p. herde, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, 3d. ed., 4 (1995), s.v. "Hadrian V., Papst." j. n. d. kelly, Oxford Dictionary of Popes (New York 1986), 199.

[b. j. comaskey]