Lentorama 2010: Two Millennia of Pointy Hats

Day 27: John XXI (1276-7)

John holds a couple of distinctions, as he is the only Portuguese pope and the only physician made pope. John spent much of his adult life as an academic and counselor to the king of Portugal, moving into a clerical role after becoming the physician of Pope Gregory X.

After being elected pope, one of John's first acts was to change the rules of election to loosen up the restriction that limited cardinals' movement during conclave and reduced the amount of food and wine given to them if things went too long. He had great plans for reuniting with the Eastern church and launching a crusade, but was frustrated by the ambitions of cardinal Giovanni Orsini (who would succeed him as pope).

He would die only 8 months into his papacy, as a wing he had added on to his palace for use in research and writing collapsed while he was inside, killing him, making him the only pope to die from an actual accident. That's probably one first he'd have been happy to pass on.