Cencius II or Cencio II Frangipane was the son of either of Cencio I or of John, a brother of one Leo. He was the principal representative of the

Frangipani family The Frangipani family was a powerful Roman patrician clan in the Middle Ages. The family was firmly Guelph in sympathy. The name has many spellings, which include Frangipane, Freiapane, Fricapane and Fresapane. In his '' Trattatello in laud ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in the early twelfth century. One night in 1118, he interrupted the

College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals, or more formally the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. its current membership is , of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinals are appo ...

in Santa Maria in Pallara sul Palatino, near his castle, and arrested the newly elected

Pope Gelasius II Pope Gelasius II (c. 1060/1064 – 29 January 1119), born Giovanni Caetani or Giovanni da Gaeta (also called ''Coniulo''), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 January 1118 to his death in 1119. A monk of Monte C ...

and some of his followers. Popular opinion turned so against him, however, that he was forced to release the pope. In that one night, however, the whole relationship between the Frangipani and the

Gregorian reform The Gregorian Reforms were a series of reforms initiated by Pope Gregory VII and the circle he formed in the papal curia, c. 1050–80, which dealt with the moral integrity and independence of the clergy. The reforms are considered to be na ...

ers broke down. In Spring 1121, Pope Callistus II destroyed the Frangipani fortress in Rome and prohibited its reconstruction. In 1124, in alliance with Cardinal Aimerico of Santa Maria Nova, the papal chancellor and leader of the French reform party, Cencio forced the election of

Honorius II Pope Honorius II (9 February 1060 – 13 February 1130), born Lamberto Scannabecchi,Levillain, pg. 731 was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 21 December 1124 to his death in 1130. Although from a humble background, ...

. In 1125, the pope granted him the county of

Ceccano Ceccano is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, central Italy, in the Latin Valley. History The town had its origins as an ancient Volscian citadel that surrendered to the Romans in 330 BC (424 Ab Urbe Condita).''The History ...

and from there he sacked the

Abbey of Montecassino An abbey is a type of monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally inc ...

. In 1128, Cencio and Aimerico together travelled to the court of Count

Roger II of Sicily Roger II ( it, Ruggero II; 22 December 1095 – 26 February 1154) was King of Sicily and Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, became Duke of Apulia and Calabria i ...

to invest him with the Duchy of Apulia from the pope. Cencio later fell out with Aimerico. On 14 February 1130, Aimerico's candidate,

Innocent II Pope Innocent II ( la, Innocentius II; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as pope was controversial and the fi ...

, was elected pope, but immediately opposed by the Roman nobility, including Cencio, who sent a letter dated 18 May to

Lothair of Supplinburg Lothair III, sometimes numbered Lothair II and also known as Lothair of Supplinburg (1075 – 4 December 1137), was Holy Roman Emperor from 1133 until his death. He was appointed Duke of Saxony in 1106 and elected King of Germany in 1125 befor ...

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, asking him to support the

antipope An antipope ( la, antipapa) is a person who makes a significant and substantial attempt to occupy the position of Bishop of Rome and leader of the Catholic Church in opposition to the legitimately elected pope. At times between the 3rd and mid- ...

Anacletus II Anacletus II (died January 25, 1138), born Pietro Pierleoni, was an antipope who ruled in opposition to Pope Innocent II from 1130 until his death in 1138. After the death of Pope Honorius II, the college of cardinals was divided over his succe ...

. Cencio was exiled from the city for the next three years until his return on 4 June 1133 to be present at Lothair's imperial coronation.

Sources

*Caravale, Mario (ed). ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani: L Francesco I Sforza – Gabbi''. Rome, 1998. * Gregorovius, Ferdinand. ''Rome in the Middle Ages Vol. IV''. trans. Annie Hamilton. 1905. * Norwich, John Julius. ''The Normans in the South 1016-1130''. Longmans: London, 1967. {{DEFAULTSORT:Frangipane, Cencio II 11th-century births 12th-century deaths Italian nobility Italian Roman Catholics