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The Pope Encyclopedia (253 words) |
 | A rival claimant to the papacy who might be elected, appointed, installed, or even proclaim himself to be the legitimate pontiff; such an individual is said by the Church to have assumed the title of pope illegally or in opposition to the legitimate pope. |
| The antipope was a fairly common occurrence during the Middle Ages, and most were often pathetic Churchmen who were propped up by powerful rulers, such as a Holy Roman Emperor, during a feud with the Holy See over various issues. |
| Their authority was frequently very limited and, after the resolution of a conflict, the king who created them might convince them to step down or simply abandon them to the whim or caprices of the real successor to St. Peter. |
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Antipope - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (1257 words) |
| These antipopes were usually in opposition to a specific person chosen by the papal electors (since the Middle Ages, the College of Cardinals). |
| The earliest antipope, Hippolytus, was elected in protest against Pope Callixtus I by a schismatic group in the city of Rome in the 3rd century. |
| The period when antipopes were most numerous was during the struggles between the Popes and the Holy Roman Emperors of the 11th and 12th centuries. |
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