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Sinibaldo dei Fieschi elected as Pope Innocentius IV

Pope Innocent IV (Latin: Innocentius IV; c. 1195 – 7 December 1254), born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in...

Pope Innocent IV (Latin: Innocentius IV; c. 1195 – 7 December 1254), born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in 1254.

Fieschi was born in Genoa and studied at the universities of Parma and Bologna. He was considered in his own day and by posterity as a fine canonist. On the strength of this reputation, he was called to the Roman Curia by Pope Honorius III. Pope Gregory IX made him a cardinal and appointed him governor of the Ancona in 1235. Fieschi was elected pope in 1243 and took the name Innocent IV. He inherited an ongoing dispute over lands seized by the Holy Roman Emperor, and the following year he traveled to France to escape imperial plots against him in Rome.

Historical Significance

Pope Innocent IV (Latin: Innocentius IV; c.

Events Before

  1. Mongolian armies rout the forces of Boleslaw IV at Chmielnik and sack and burn the city of Kraków to the ground

    Mongolian armies rout the forces of Boleslaw IV at Chmielnik and sack and burn the city of Kraków to the ground

  2. Battle of Liegnitz - Mongolian armies inflict one of the largest defeats in Polish history on Polish and Germans force l

    Battle of Liegnitz - Mongolian armies inflict one of the largest defeats in Polish history on Polish and Germans force led by Henry of Silesia with 20-25,000 killed or massacred, including Henry

  3. Battle of Mohi: Mongols led by Batu and Subedei defeat Hungarian King Béla IV in the major battle in during Mongolian in

    Battle of Mohi: Mongols led by Batu and Subedei defeat Hungarian King Béla IV in the major battle in during Mongolian invasion of Hungary, with 30,000 Hungarians slain

  4. Battle on the Ice: Russian Prince of Novgorod Alexander Nevsky defeats the Teutonic Knights on the frozen Lake Peipus be

    Battle on the Ice: Russian Prince of Novgorod Alexander Nevsky defeats the Teutonic Knights on the frozen Lake Peipus between Estonia and Russia

  5. Twenty-four wagonloads of Talmudic books are burned in Paris

    Twenty-four wagonloads of Talmudic books are burned in Paris

Events After

  1. Duke Frederick II of Austria issues a charter extending rights and protection for Jews - 1st territorial ruler to claim

    Duke Frederick II of Austria issues a charter extending rights and protection for Jews - 1st territorial ruler to claim Jews as his own subjects [1]

  2. Khwarezmian Tatars sack Jerusalem, decimating the city's Christian population and driving out Jews

    Khwarezmian Tatars sack Jerusalem, decimating the city's Christian population and driving out Jews

  3. Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after having confessed to torture and forgery

    Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after having confessed to torture and forgery

  4. Franciscan envoys Giovanni da Pian del Carpine and Benedict to Pole depart Lyon on first Catholic mission to the Mongols

    Franciscan envoys Giovanni da Pian del Carpine and Benedict to Pole depart Lyon on first Catholic mission to the Mongols. Carpine returns 1247 as first European with account of a Mongolian court

  5. 1st Council of Lyon (13th ecumenical council) opens

    1st Council of Lyon (13th ecumenical council) opens

More from the 1240s

Battle on the Ice: Russian Prince of Novgorod Alexander Nevsky defeats the Teutonic Knights on the frozen Lake Peipus be

Battle on the Ice: Russian Prince of Novgorod Alexander Nevsky defeats the Teutonic Knights on the frozen Lake Peipus between Estonia and Russia

Conquest of Seville occurs by Christian troops under King Ferdinand III of Castile after the city surrenders

Seville is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville.

Mongols led by Batu Khan occupy and destroy Kyiv after an eight-day siege; out of 50,000 people in the city, only 2,000

Mongols led by Batu Khan occupy and destroy Kyiv after an eight-day siege; out of 50,000 people in the city, only 2,000 survive

Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after having confessed to torture and forgery

Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, is granted resignation after having confessed to torture and forgery

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on June 25, 1243?
Pope Innocent IV (Latin: Innocentius IV; c. 1195 – 7 December 1254), born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in 1254. Fieschi was born in Genoa and studied at the universities of Parma and Bologna.
Why is Sinibaldo dei Fieschi elected as Pope Innocentius IV significant?
Pope Innocent IV (Latin: Innocentius IV; c.

Explore More

June 25 in HistoryYear 1243