Alexander III (Pope)

Alexander III (Pope) (1105?-1181), pope (1159-1181), who vigorously championed papal authority in the church.

Born Rolando Bandinelli in Siena, Italy, he studied law under the Italian scholar Gratian, later called the father of canon law. Bandinelli taught at Bologna, and his writings in law and in theology earned him the reputation of a scholar. Named a cardinal in 1150, he became papal chancellor in 1153. That same year he was sent as a legate to negotiate the Treaty of Constance with Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I.

Following the death of Pope Adrian IV in 1159, Bandinelli was elected pope over the opposition of Frederick I. As Alexander III, much of his pontificate was involved in the complex politics of the time, with Alexander and European rulers striving to reduce one another to subservience. He forced Henry II of England to do public penance for the murder of Saint Thomas à Becket, archbishop of Canterbury. After a long struggle with three successive antipopes who were supported by Frederick I, Alexander, aided by the Lombard League, forced Frederick to recognize his elevation to the papacy.

Forced by Frederick I into exile in 1162, Alexander III spent much of his pontificate in France. One of the great medieval popes, he presided over the Third Lateran Council (1179) and fostered the Scholastic revival of his time.