NICHOLAS 11I., Pope 1277-80, Giovanni Gae tano degli Orsini. lle was made cardinal by Innocent IV. in 1244, and employed by several popes in important diplomatic On the death of John XXI.. he was elected at Viterbo after a prolonged division in the conclave, which was only terminated by the citizens locking the cardinals up in the town hall. lie had already acted as mediator b-dween Charles of Anjou and IZtidolf of Hapsburg. and now employed his in fluence with them to strengthen materially the temporal power of the Church in Italy. 110 is described as a man of strict morals and consid erable learning. though the reproach of nepotism is brought against him.
Nicuim..ks IV., Pope 1288,92, Geronitim by name. Ile entered the Franciscan order at an early age. and in 1272 was sent to Constanti nople to invite the Greeks to the Council of Lyons. Two years later. on the death of Saint Itonaventura, he was elected general of his Order. Nicholas 111. made him a eardinal. and Martin IV. Bishop of Palestrina. After nearly a year's interre;_mum he was chosen to succeed Ilonorius IV., and was the first Franeisean Pope. In his time Acre, the last stronghold of the Christians in the East, fell into the hands of the Moslems; and he made vigorous attempts to stir up Christendom to renewed efforts against them. also making strenuous endeavors to convert the Tatars.
NicitotAs V., Pope 14.17-55, Tommaso Paren tueelli. Born probably at Sarzana, near Pisa, in 1397, he was educated at Bologna and Florence. In 1426 lie came to Rome and was employed in the ecclesiastical service. In 1444 he was made Bishop of Bologna and cardinal two years after wards in recognition of his skill in conducting difficult negotiations in Germany. On succeed ing three months later to the Papal throne, he ad dressed himself first to the settlement of the troubles growing out of the Council of Basel, and prevailed upon the Antipope Felix V. to resign
his claims, thus securing universal recopition in 1449 and restoring peace to the Church. In 1452 he crowned Frederick 111. as Emperor—the last Imperial coronation to take place in Rome. Ile sought to stir up Christendom to oppose the ad vance of the Turks. Ile reproached the Greeks with their dilatory postponement of the agree ments made at the Council of Florence, and upon the Greek Emperor finally accepting his condi tions, sent. Cardinal Isidore to Constantinople with troops and money. The submission of the (;reeks was, however, only feigned; and on Slay 29. 1453, Constantinople fell into the hands Of the Mohammedans. In the revival of classical learning which preceded and followed that event Nicholas was actively concerned. He dispatched agents in all directions, east and west, to purchase or to copy every important Greek and Latin manuscript. The number collected by him was about 5000. Ile remodeled and may almost be said to have founded the Vatican li brary. He caused translations to be made of the Greek classics, both sacred and profane. He in vited to Rome the most eminent scholars of the world, and extended his special patronage to the Greeks who were driven from Constantinople; in short, he did all in his power to make Rome the centre of the world, both in art and letters.— The name of Nu:run-As V. was also assumed by the Antipope set up by Louis of Bavaria against Pope ,Tohn XI I. in 1328, the Franciscan Pietro Rainalducei di who finally made his submission and died at Rome in 1333.