d. 1143 · Pope (1130–1143)
Pope Innocent II
Pope who won the papal schism with Bernard of Clairvaux's support, issued the bull Omne datum optimum granting broad privileges to the Templars in 1139, and convened the Second Lateran Council.
BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER
Life and historical role
Life and political setting
From the Roman Papareschi family, Gregorio became pope in a disputed election in 1130; the rival candidate Anacletus II was also proclaimed pope. Innocent secured recognition of his legitimacy with the support of Bernard of Clairvaux, France and the German king; the schism ended in 1138.
Role in the Crusades
His bull Omne datum optimum of 1139 exempted the Templars from the authority of local bishops, gave them the privileges of appointing their own clergy and collecting tithes, and placed the order directly under the papacy. The Second Lateran Council, held the same year, annulled the decisions of the schism period and regulated church discipline.
Historical significance and source problems
The privileges Innocent granted the Templars laid the foundation for the development of the military orders as independent and international institutions. He died in 1143. Papal documents and Bernard's letters are the main sources for his pontificate.
Biographical information is linked to the sources shown on the page and to the connected event records. Disputed dates are given as approximate, gaps are not filled by conjecture, and later literary or visual depictions are not treated as contemporary portraits.