Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 32: Lucius II

There were three popes Lucius. Two qualify for this series. Like Celestine, there's a reason this name doesn't get used anymore.

Lucius rose through the ranks pretty quickly, getting named a cardinal-priest 1124, and later serving two terms as a papal legate to Germany. He was able to get the Holy Roman Emperor to intercede in Italy twice to put down threats to Pope Innocent II, and in return Innocent made Lucius papal chancellor. Lucius was elected in 1144 (succeeding Celestine II, there's an omen), and likely taking his name from the first Lucius, whose death was commemorated a few days before the second Lucius was coronated.

In his just under a year in office, Lucius got involved in political matters in England and Portugal (he supported Empress Maud in The Anarchy, while he did not recognize Afonso I as king of an independent Portugal), and lost a small war to the king of Sicily. 

It was the latter event that led to Lucius' death. With the papacy weakened by the war with Sicily, members of the Roman senate declared a republic. Establishing a commune, the republicans demanded the pope give up his temporal powers. Lucius chose to fight, and died of injuries sustained during a fight where he was hit by a large stone.