Pope Callixtus III
| Columbia Encyclopedia: Calixtus III |
Calixtus III, Callixtus III, or Callistus III, 1378-1458, pope (1455-58), a Spaniard (b. Játiva) named Alonso de Borja or, in Italian, Alfonso Borgia; successor of Nicholas V. He acted as arbitrator between his friend Alfonso V of Aragón and the papacy, and for this he was made a cardinal (1444). Calixtus was elected soon after the fall of Constantinople, and he promptly proclaimed a crusade against the Turks. He spared nothing to aid John Hunyadi, who won a victory with St. John Capistran at Belgrade (1456). In 1457, Calixtus turned to Scanderbeg, in Albania, sent him money, and named him captain general of the crusade. Calixtus' reign was embittered by a quarrel with Alfonso, who expected returns, notably the march of Ancona, for his friendship. The pope would not give away church lands and resented Alfonso's failure to help the crusade. Calixtus' nepotism gave the Borgia family its position in Italy. Calixtus was, like other Borgias, an able administrator. He was succeeded by Pius II.
Dictionary:
Ca·lix·tus III (kə-lĭk'stəs)  or Cal·lis·tus III
|
Pope (1455-1458) who tried unsuccessfully to set in motion a crusade to recapture Constantinople from the Turks and whose nepotism empowered the Borgia family in Italy.
| WordNet: Alfonso Borgia |
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.
The noun has one meaning:
Meaning #1:
Italian pope whose nepotism put the Borgia family in power in Italy (1378-1458)
Synonyms: Calixtus III, Borgia
| Wikipedia: Pope Callixtus III |
| Calixtus III | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Papacy began | April 8, 1455 |
| Papacy ended | August 6, 1458 |
| Predecessor | Nicholas V |
| Successor | Pius II |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Alfonso de Borja |
| Born | December 31, 1378 Canals, Valencia, Crown of Aragon |
| Died | 6 August 1458 (aged 79) Rome, Papal States |
| Other Popes named Callixtus | |
Calistus and Calixtus III redirect here. For the antipope, see Antipope Callixtus III
Pope Calixtus III (December 31, 1378 – August 6, 1458), né Alfonso de Borja, was Pope from April 8, 1455 to his death in 1458.
Biography
Alfonso de Borja was born in La Torreta, now a neighbourhood of Canals, València, today Spain but then Kingdom of Valencia under the Crown of Aragon. His early career was spent as a professor of law at University of Lleida and then as a diplomat in the service of the Kings of Aragon, especially during the Council of Basel (1431–1439). He became a cardinal after reconciling Pope Eugene IV (1431–1447) with King Alfonso V of Aragon (1416–1458).
| Papal styles of Pope Callixtus III |
|
|
|
|
| Reference style | His Holiness |
| Spoken style | Your Holiness |
| Religious style | Holy Father |
| Posthumous style | None |
He was raised to the papal chair in 1455 as Calixtus III at a very advanced age as a compromise candidate. He was viewed by historians as being feeble and incompetent. In the same year, he issued a papal bull (bulletin/edict) to Portugal. This bull authorized the Portuguese to reduce infidels to servitude. Thus, the Catholic Church gave permission to Portugal and its other subjugate countries to engage in the trans-Atlantic African slave trade. By doing this the pope gave tacit consent that the enslavement of Africans was not contradictory to the word of God nor the teachings of the church itself - without fear of retaliation or penalization from either.
The great object of his policy was the urging of a crusade against the Turks, who had captured Constantinople in 1453, but he did not find the Christian princes responsive to his call despite his every effort.
Pope Calixtus III made two of his nephews cardinals, one of whom, Roderic de Borgia, later became Pope Alexander VI (1492–1503) and was infamous for corruption.
On June 29, 1456, he ordered the bells to be rung at noon (see noon bell) in all Catholic churches to call Christians for prayer. As news spread with some delay, this order became connected with the crusade to lift the Siege of Belgrade (which happened on July 22), which was a signal victory against the Turks. To commemorate this victory, Calixtus III ordered the feast of the Transfiguration to be held on August 6.
He ordered a new trial for St. Joan of Arc (c. 1412–1431), at which she was posthumously vindicated after being controversially tried and executed.
Calixtus III's pre-papal coat of arms featured a grazing ox.
The "bull against the comet"
According to one story, first appearing in a posthumous biography in 1475 and later embellished and popularized by Pierre-Simon Laplace, Calixtus III excommunicated the 1456 apparition of Halley's Comet, believing it to be an ill omen for the Christian defenders of Belgrade, who were at that time being besieged by the armies of the Ottoman Empire. No known primary source supports the authenticity of this account. Calixtus III's papal bull of June 29, 1456, which called for public prayer for the success of the crusade, makes no mention of the comet, and by August 6, when the Turkish siege was broken, the comet had not been visible from Europe or Turkey for several weeks.
| Roman Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Nicholas V |
Pope 1455–1458 |
Succeeded by Pius II |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Learn More
 | Pope Callixtus |
| Callistus |
| Noon bell |
 | What information should you include in a short answer on Pope Innocent III? Read answer... |
| What is Pope Nicholas III's family name? Read answer... |
| Who was crowned by Pope Leo III on Christmas day? Read answer... |
Help us answer these
 | Why was the pope murdered in godfather III? |
| What Pope succeeded Leo III? |
| Who was the Pope after Leo III? |
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
 |
 | Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more |
 |
| Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pope Callixtus III". Read more |
Related answers
- What are Pope Leo III's accomplishments?
- Who was pope before benedict III?
- Who is Pope Innocent III?
- What did Pope Paul III do?
ADVERTISEMENT
