INNOCENT VIII. (Giovanni Battista Cibo), pope from Aug. 29, 1484, to July 25, 1492, successor of Sixtus IV., was born at Genoa (1432), the son of Arano Cibo, who under Calixtus III. had been a senator of Rome. Through the favour of Cardinal Calandrini, half-brother of Nicholas V., he obtained from Paul II. the bishop ric of Savona. Sixtus IV. translated him to the see of Molfetta, and in 1473 created him cardinal-priest of Sta. Balbina, subse quently of Sta. Cecilia. As pope he addressed a fruitless summons to Christendom to unite in a crusade against the infidels, and concluded in 1489 a treaty with Bayezid II., agreeing in considera tion of an annual payment of 40,000 ducats and the gift of the Holy Lance to detain the sultan's fugitive brother Jem in close confinement in the Vatican. Innocent excommunicated and de posed Ferdinand, king of Naples, by bull of Sept. 11, 1489, for refusal to pay the papal dues, and gave his kingdom to Charles VIII. of France, but in 1492 restored Ferdinand to favour. In the bull Summis (Dec. 5, 1484) he instigated very severe measures against magicians and witches in Germany; he prohibited (1486) on pain of excommunication the reading of the propositions of Pico della Mirandola; he appointed (1487) T. Torquemada to be grand inquisitor of Spain; and he offered ple nary indulgence to all who would engage in a crusade against the Waldenses. He sent missionaries under Portuguese auspices to the Congo. An important event of his pontificate was the capture of Granada (Jan. 2, 1492), for which Innocent gave to Ferdinand of Aragon the title of "Catholic Majesty." Innocent died on July 25, 1492, and was succeeded by Alexander VI.
The sources for the life of Innocent VIII. are to be found in L. Mura tori, Rerum 1 talicarum Scriptores (1723-51) , vol. 3, and in Raynaldus, a. 1484-92. See also L. Pastor, History of the Popes, vol. 5, trans. by F. I. Antrobus (1898) ; M. Creighton, History of the Papacy, vol. 4 (1901) ; F. Gregorovius, Rome in the Middle Ages, vol. 7, trans. by Mrs.
G. W. Hamilton (19oo-02) ; T. Hagen, Die Papstwahlen von 1484 u. 1492 (Brizen, 1885) ; S. Riezler, Die Hexenprozesse (18g6) ; G. Viani, Memorie della famiglia Cybo (Pisa, 1808) ; F. Serdonati, Vita e fatti d'Innocenzo VIII. (Milan, 1829).