Teobaldo Boccapecci or Boccapeconai () was elected pope after the death of

Pope Callixtus II Pope Callixtus II or Callistus II ( – 13 December 1124), born Guy of Burgundy, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from February 1119 to his death in 1124. His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controversy ...

on 13 December 1124 and took the name Celestine II, but factional violence broke out during his investiture. This resulted in his resignation before his consecration or enthronement in order to avoid

schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...

. He is one of two men considered to be "Popes-elect"; the former, and more famous of them, is Pope-elect Stephen ("Stephen II").

Life

Boccapecci was a native of Rome. Around 1103

Paschal II Pope Paschal II (; 1050 1055 – 21 January 1118), born Raniero Raineri di Bleda, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 August 1099 to his death in 1118. A monk of the Abbey of Cluny, he was creat ...

made him

Cardinal Deacon A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. C ...

of Santa Maria Nova. At the consistory of 1122, Callixtus named him

Cardinal Priest A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. Ca ...

Sant'Anastasia al Palatino Sant'Anastasia is a minor basilica and titular church for cardinal-priests in Rome, Italy owned by the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. Basilica Sant'Anastasia was built in the late 3rd century - early 4th century, possibly by a Roman woman nam ...

. "The history of the papacy in the early Middle Ages was marked by constantly contested papal elections wherein the various claimants were often proxies for struggles between factions of the nobility".Pham, John-Peter (2004)
''Heirs of the Fisherman: Behind the Scenes of Papal Death and Succession''
Oxford University Press. The pontificates of

Urban II Pope Urban II (; – 29 July 1099), otherwise known as Odo of Châtillon or Otho de Lagery, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 March 1088 to his death. He is best known for convening the Council of Clermon ...

and

saw an increase in the

College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals (), also called the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. there are cardinals, of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Appointed by the pope, ...

of Italian clerics that strengthened the local Roman influence. These cardinals viewed the French and Burgundian cardinals appointed by Callixtus II as dangerous innovators, and they were determined to resist their increasing influence. The northern cardinals, led by Cardinal Aymeric de Bourgogne (the Papal Chancellor), were equally determined to ensure that the elected pope would be one of their candidates. Both groups looked towards the great Roman families for support. At the time of the death of Callixtus on 13 December 1124, the city of Rome was divided between the Frangipani, who supported the German Holy Roman Emperor, and the Pierleoni, who led the Roman nobility. Each faction promoted their own candidate for pope. The

conclave A conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to appoint the pope of the Catholic Church. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Concerns around ...

was held three days later on 16 December. The Cardinals assembled, under the protection of the Pierleoni, in the chapel of the monastery of S. Pancrazio al Laterano attached to the south of the Lateran basilica. Initially, most of the cardinals held for Cardinal Saxo de Anagni (Sasso), Cardinal-Priest of San Stefano in Celiomonte, who was backed by the Pierleoni family. However, support shifted to Cardinal Boccapecci at the suggestion of Jonathas, the cardinal-deacon of Santi Cosma e Damiano, a Pierleoni partisan. Boccapecci was then elected, and chose the name Celestine II.Kelly, J. N. D., and Walsh, Michael J., eds
"Celestine (d. 1124)"
''A Dictionary of Popes'', 2nd ed. Oxford University Press. Boccapecci had only just been proclaimed pope, the investiture ceremony started and the singing of the ''Te Deum'' begun, when Roberto Frangipani and a body of armed men broke into the church. Leo Frangipani and the papal chancellor Cardinal Aymeric de Bourgogne proclaimed the Bishop of Ostia, Cardinal Lamberto Scannabecchi, a man of considerable learning, pope. During the ensuing melee, Cardinal Boccapecci was wounded. Since he had not yet been formally consecrated pope, Boccapecci declared himself willing to resign, which he formally did the next day in order to avoid a schism. The Pierleoni were paid a substantial bribe to concede. Cardinal Scannabecchi was unwilling to accept the throne in such a manner, and he too resigned his position before all of the assembled Cardinals, but was immediately and unanimously re-elected and consecrated on 21 December 1124 under the name Honorius II. Boccapecci, already an elderly man, is not mentioned in the sources anymore after those events. Several historians assume he has died shortly thereafter due to the violent treatment he had received, others reject this as pure speculation.Kelly's comment is pure conjecture. There is no evidence as to the fate of Teobaldo after his resignation, according to Rudolf Hüls (1977). , . . p. 149. He was succeeded as Cardinal Priest of Sant'Anastasia al Palatino by a priest named Pierre in December 1126, so he can be assumed dead for sure at that time. According to historian Salvador Miranda, as Boccapecci was duly elected, he should not be considered an antipope; but as he resigned before being consecrated and enthroned, neither is he listed among the popes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boccapecci, Teobaldo Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 12th-century antipopes 12th-century cardinals Celestine 02