Pietro SenexBrixius, p. 37, appears to indicate that "senex" is a scholarly nickname, not a personal name or a family name. B. Zenker, Die Mitglieder des Kardinalkollegiums von 1130 bis 1159 (Würzburg: Universität 1964), p. 25, calls him "Petrus Senex, der älteste der Anakletianer." But in the electoral decree for Pope Anacletus II, he subscribes himself "Petrus Senex Portuensis episcopus". (died 1134) was Cardinal-Bishop of Porto from 1102 until his death. He was born probably in Rome.
Rector of Benevento He appears for the first time as cardinal in March 1102, when he exercised the legatine duties in Benevento. From 1106 until 1109 he is attested as governor of Benevento. In a document of January 1107, he styles himself Ego Petrus Portuensis episcopus gratia Dei et beati Petri apostoli et eiusdem domini nostri papae cardinalis sanctae Romanae et apostolicae sedis atque Rector Beneventanus.Stefano Borgia, Memorie della pontifizia città di Benevento Parte III, volume 1 (Roma: Salomon 1769), p. 35.
Henry V, Paschal II, and the investiture question In February 1111, King Henry V came to Rome to demand his imperial coronation. On 12 February the ceremony took place at St. Peter's Basilica, and during the welcome at the door, the pope read out a decree, in which he repudiated lay investiture, and ordered all bishops to surrender their imperial fiefs to the emperor immediately and permanently. The king and the indignant bishops retired to discuss the shocking demand, and, as evening approached, the pope refused the coronation. After Mass, he and the cardinals were taken into custody by Henry's armed troops, and on 16 February, after a battle with the Romans in the Borgo, Henry and his captive prelates departed the city. The pope and sixteen cardinals, including Bishop Pietro of Porto, were held captive for sixty-one days, while Henry pressed the pope to agree to his solution to the investiture controversy.Gregorovius IV, part 2, pp. 338-347. On 18 April, at Ponte Mammolo on the Anio River, Pietro was one of the cardinals who were compelled to sign the papal promise to observe the agreement which Henry had drawn up.Hüls, p. 222, with note 7. Gregorovius, pp. 349-350. Georg Pertz (ed.), Monumenta Germaniae historica. Legum. Tomus I (Hannover: Hahn 1835), pp. 142-146, no. 93.
Opposition to Paschal II In attempting to placate Henry, however, Paschal only made matters worse. Though asserting the separation of church and state in the institution to benefices, Paschal granted the emperor a privilegium in the matter of investiture.The "privilege" granted the emperor the right to invest a newly elected bishop with the ring and the staff of office before he was consecrated by the appropriate church officials. Pertz, Monumenta Germaniae historica. Legum. Tomus I, pp. 144-145, no. 96. The Gregorians saw the "Privilegium" as a betrayal of everything they had been doing to free the Church from the State, though numerous others saw it as a betrayal and a fatal weakness in the pope. Pressure from inside the empire and outside mounted on Paschal to summon a council, whose expressed purpose would be to annul the "privilege'. The leaders of the movement were the papal legate in Aquitaine, Archbishop Gerard of Angoulême; the bishops Leo of Ostia and Galo of St. Pol-de-Leon; and the cardinals Robert of S. Eusebio and Gregory of SS. XII Apostolorum. Pietro Senex was one of more than one hundred bishops who participated in the Lateran council in the following year, on 18—23 March 1112. The "privilege" was soundly condemned.Hüls, p. 122, with note 8. Charles Joseph Hefele, Histoire des conciles, second edition, Tome V (Paris: Letouzey 1912), pp. 532-535. J. D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XXI (Venice: A. Zatta 1776), p. 52.
Cardinal Pietro was present at the Lateran synod presided over by Pope Paschal II from 6—11 March 1116. The major issue was the disputed election of an archbishop of Milan, between Grosulanus and Jordanes.Jaffé, pp. 761-762. On the fifth day, Grosulanus emotionally appealed to Cardinal Petrus to support him, but Petrus declined, since he was opposed to him.Landulfus de Sancto Paulo, "Historia Mediolanensis" § 41 (ed. L. Bethmann and P. Jaffé), in: Monumenta Germaniae Historica Scriptorum Tomus XX, p. 38: "Tunc Portuensis Petrus episcopus se et ceteros, habentes hanc potestatem, de malivolentia habita in Grosulanum honeste et sufficienter excusavit; et cum excusasset, in comuni concordia illius excusantis et ceterorum, habentium potestatem istam, prolata fuit sententia, quae prohibuit Grosulanum Mediolanensem ecclesiam inquietare, et ad episcopatum [Savona] dixit ei redire."
At the time of Pope Paschal's death on 21 January 1118, Cardinal Pietro had already been serving as Papal vicar at Rome for a number of years.Hüls, p. 122, with note 20. Johann M. Watterich, (editor), Pontificum Romanorum qui fuerunt inde ab exeunte saeculo IX usque ad finem saeculi XIII vitae ab aequalibus conscriptae Tomus II (Lipsiae 1862), p. 94. He participated in the papal election of January 1118, in which Cardinal Giovanni Gaetani was elected pope Gelasius II. Forced to flee Rome because of the violence of the Frangipani and the approach of the army of the Emperor Henry V, Gelasius took refuge in Gaeta, where he was consecrated a bishop and enthroned by three cardinal-bishops, Lamberto of Ostia, Pietro of Porto, and Vitalis of Albano.Watterich, pp. 94-95; 98. Gregorovius IV. 2, pp. 377-381. The papal court returned to Rome early in July, after the withdrawal of Henry V, but factional fighting in Rome forced them to flee again at the end of August. Gelasius left Pietro of Porto behind as his Vicar of the City of Rome.Watterich, pp. 101-102. Jaffé, pp. 775-777. Gregorovius, pp. 386-389.
Election of 1119 Following the death of Pope Gelasius II at Cluny on 29 January 1119, the ten cardinals who were present, after consultation with other prelates, Roman officials, and other Romans were present, proceeded to an election, with the agreement that the name of the successful candidate would be sent to Rome for confirmation. Archbishop Guy of Vienne was elected on 2 February 1119. Within days, Cardinal Pietro presided over the ratification by the Roman clergy of the election of Pope Calixtus II, which was sent to France in time for him to be enthroned in the cathedral of Vienne on 9 February 1119.Watterich, pp. 122-124. P. Jaffe & S. Loewenfeld, Regesta pontificum Romanorum I, second edition (Leipzig: Veit 1885), p. 782. Cardinal Pietro sent a second letter to the cardinals in France, approving of their actions.Edmundus Martène et Ursinus Durand, Veterum Scriptorum et monumentorum amplissima collectio Tomus I (Paris 1724), column 644: "Proinde benedictus Deus, qui simplicitatem cordis vestri tanta prudentia illustravit, ut magnis ecclesiae necessitatibus salubri et maturo consilio provideretis. Licet enim me obitus domini nostri papae Gelasii contristaverit, petitioni tamen vestrae prompto et alacri animo diligentiam dedi, atque ut ceteri fratres vobiscum in unum saperent sollicitius laboravi."
On 6 July 1121, Pope Calixtus II appointed Bishop Pietro his legate in the Holy Land, to carry the pallium to the newly elected and confirmed Patriarch of Jerusalem, Guarmundus.Hüls, p. 123, with note 43. J.P. Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Latinae Tomus CLXIII (Paris ), pp. 1216-1217. In July 1121, Cardinal Pietro was in the Veneto, where he handed over to the priest Marco his possessions on the payment of one gold byzant per annum; in a letter of 24 July, Pope Calixtus confirmed the grant and sent a cornerstone for the new church in which a college of Canons Regular was to be established.P. F. Kehr, Italia Pontificia VII, part 2 (Berlin: Weidmann 1925), p. 168. Hüls, p. 123, with note 44. He was back with the papal court at Catanzaro on 28 December 1121.Migne, p. 1227-1229.
On 8 July 1123, Cardinal Pietro presided at the consecration of a chapel in the church of S. Crisogono in Trastevere.Vincenzo Forcella, Inscrizioni delle chiese e d'altri edificii di Roma Volume II (Roma: Bencini 1873), p. 169, no. 486. He was in Rome in 1124, signing documents for the pope at the Lateran palace on 1 April, 26 May, 1 June, and 4 June.Hüls, p. 123, with notes 49—52.
Election of 1124 Pope Calixtus died in Rome of a sudden fever on 13 or 14 December 1124.Jaffé, p. 821. It fell to the six cardinal bishops, according to the constitution In nomine Domini of Nicholas II, to nominate the next pope: Crescentius of Sabina, Petrus of Porto, Lambertus Scannabecchi of Ostia, Guilelmus of Palestrina, Vitalis of Albano, and Gilles (Aegidius) of Tusculum. On 15 or 16 December, the cardinal bishops chose Theobaldus Boccadipecora (Buccapecus), the Cardinal Priest of S. Anastasia, whose election was ratified unanimously by the rest of the cardinals. During the election Roberto Frangipani carried out a coup-d'état, proclaiming Cardinal Lambertus Scannabecchi Pope Honorius II.Gregorovius, pp. 403-406. Jaffé, p. 824. "Annales Cavenses", in: Monumenta Germaniae Historica Scriptorum Tomus III, p. 191: "D. Kalixtus papa obiit, cui tertio die successit Honorius." There was no canonical election. Theobaldus resigned immediately that same day, whether willingly or under duress is uncertain. Seven days later, stricken with guilt and remorse, Lamberto resigned his false papacy, though the cardinals apparently reelected or confirmed his office.Cardinal Boso, "Life of Honorius II," in: Watterich II, p. 159: "Sed quia electio ipsius Honorii minus canonice processerat, post septem dies in conspectu Fratrum sponte mitram et mantum refutavit, atque deposuit. Fratres vero tam Episcopi quam Presbyteri et Diaconi Cardinales, videntes ipsius humilitatem et prospicientes in posterum, ne in Romanum Ecclesiam aliquam inducerent novitatem, quod perperam factum fuerat, in melius reformarunt et eumdem Honorium denuo advocantes, ad ejus vestigia prociderunt et tamquam Pastori suo et universali Papae consuetam sibi obedientiam exhibuere."
On 9 August 1127, Cardinal Pietro consecrated an altar in the church of S. Crisogono in Trastevere.Hüls, p. 123, with note 60.
Election of 1130