Il pontificato di Vittore III

As the title indicates, the book deals with the controversial pontificate of the famous abbot of Montecassino Desiderius. One year after the death of Gregory VII in exile in Salerno, Desiderius was elected to succeed him with the title of Victor III in May 1086 in Rome. The election was made possible by the support of both the Norman prince of Capua, Jordan I, and of a Roman faction comprised of prelates and laymen. The first wanted to see a man loyal to his family on the papal see, while the others desired a compromise with the emperor, Henry IV. Yet Desiderius refused stubbornly to accept the post and he did so only at the Council of Capua in March 1087, dying some months later. Through an accurate analysis of the extant sources, often highly partisan and sometimes bristling with technical problems, and a critical examination of the previous historiography on the topic, the author tries to probe the reasons for Desiderius’ reluctance and to explain the motives that induced him at last to change his mind and to accept the tiara ten months after his original election.