Pope Gelasius II (c. 1060/1064 – 29 January 1119), bornGiovanni Caetani orGiovanni da Gaeta (also calledConiulo),[1] was head of theCatholic Church and ruler of thePapal States from 24 January 1118 to his death in 1119. A monk ofMonte Cassino and chancellor ofPope Paschal II, Caetani was unanimously elected to succeed him. In doing so, he also inherited theconflict withEmperor Henry V over investiture. Gelasius spent a good part of his brief papacy in exile.
He was born between 1060 and 1064 atGaeta into thePisan branch of theCaetani family, and he became a monk ofMonte Cassino.[2]Pope Urban II, who wished to improve the style of papal documents, brought him to Rome and made Caetani a papalsubdeacon (August 1088) andcardinal deacon ofSanta Maria in Cosmedin (probably on 23 September 1088). Aschancellor of the Holy Roman Church from 1089 to 1118, he drastically reformed the papal administration, establishing a permanent staff of clerks for the papacy, overcoming the previous custom of relying on Roman notaries to write papal documents, and introducing the minusculecurial script. His tenure also established the precedent of the papal chancellor always being acardinal and holding the office for life or until elected pope.[citation needed]
Henry V sought to enforce the privilege of investiture conceded (and later revoked in 1112) by the papacy, under duress, by Paschal II. He drove Gelasius II from Rome in March 1118, pronounced his election null and void, and set up Maurice Bourdin, Archbishop of Braga, as antipope under the name ofGregory VIII.[2]
Gelasius II fled to Gaeta, where he was ordained a priest on 9 March 1118 and on the following day received episcopal consecration. He at onceexcommunicated Henry V and theantipope and, underNorman protection, was able to return to Rome in July. But the disturbances of the imperialist party, especially those of theFrangipani, who attacked the Pope while celebrating Mass in the church ofSt. Prassede, compelled Gelasius II to go once more into exile. He set out for France, consecrating the cathedral ofPisa on the way, and arrived atMarseille in October. He was received with great enthusiasm atAvignon,Montpellier and other cities, held a synod atVienne in January 1119, and was planning to hold a general council to settle the investiture contest when he died at theAbbey of Cluny.[2]
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