Pope Alexander IV "the Wise" (1199-25 May 1261), born Rinaldo di Jenne, was Pope from 12 December 1254 to 25 May 1261, succeedng Pope Innocent IV and preceding Pope Urban IV.
Biography[]
Rinaldo di Jenne was born in 1199 to the House of Jenne, a dynasty of Catholic Italians. Through his mother, he was related to Pope Innocent III and Pope Gregory IX, the latter of whom was his uncle. His uncle made him cardinal deacon, and in 1231 he became Bishop of Ostia. In 1254, after the death of Pope Innocent IV, Rinaldo was elected as Pope, and he took the name "Pope Alexander". He became the protector of King Conrad III of Jerusalem, but he conspired against him and was opposed to his uncle Manfred of Sicily. He failed to excommunicate Manfred or gain the support of the Kingdom of England or Norway in a crusade against the House of Hohenstaufen, and he withdrew to Viterbo after the majority of Rome supported the Ghibellines. He died on 25 May 1261.