User:Faith345/Pope Adrian V

Pope Adrian V (Latin: Adrianus V; c. 1210/1220 – 18 August 1276), born Ottobuono de' Fieschi, was the head of the Catholic Church from 11 July 1276 to his death on 18 August 1276. He was an envoy of Pope Clement IV sent to England in May 1265 who successfully completed his task of resolving disputes between King Henry III of England and his barons. Pope Adrian V was assigned the papal sit following the death of his uncle, Pope Innocent V, but died of natural illness before being ordained to the priesthood.

In the Divine Comedy, Dante meets Adrian V in the fifth terrace of Purgatorio where Adrian cleanses for the vice of avarice.

Pope Adrian V in Dante's Divine Comedy
In the Divine Comedy, Dante meets Pope Adrian V in the fifth terrace of Purgatorio (reserved for the avaricious and the prodigal) where Adrian V cleanses for the vice of avarice (Purg 19 79-145).Since the souls in this terrace atone by facing down on earth and fixing their eyes on the ground, Adrian V’s identity is not revealed by facial recognition but through indirect inference. His papal identity is inferred from his latin phrase: "scias quod ego fui successor petri " (I was Peter’s successor, Purg 19- 99 ) and his words "fui roman pastore" ( I was a Roman Shephard 19-107). These lines reveal the papal identity of Adrian V given that popes are successors of the first pope, St Peter, and shepherds of the church in the teachings of the Catholic Church. Adrian V also describes his family name as being descended from those that reside between Sestri and Chiavari (Purg 19 100-102). This revels his family title, Fieschi, as the family held extensive land between the two cities.

There exists a lack of historical evidence about Adrian V’s avaricious behavior. Some scholars believe that Dante’s view of Adrian V emanated from reading excerpts from Policraticus in which the author anonymously attributed the behavior of avarice to Adrian IV. Dante likely interpreted the excerpts as Adrian V’s instead of Adrian IV’s.

Despite the possible misinterpretation of Adrian V’s character, his presence in the Comedy help to understand Dante’s views about the Church and the role of women in achieving man’s salvation. Pope Adrian V’s representation of avarice reflects the zealous ambition for earthly power. Adrian V describes that he had to detach himself from the love of worldly things that came to be after he was assigned the papal sit in the short period he was a pope (Purg 106-114.) This symbolizes Dante’s view of how avarice was at the heart of the Church as popes in the Medieval times were excessively drawn to earthly things and preoccupied with exercising power. Moreover, the pope outlines not only his avarice but also the corrupt nature of his family with the exception of his niece, Alagia Fieschi (Purg 142-145). In a melancholic tone, Adrian V expresses how Alagia is the only remaining virtuous girl whose extension of prayer can help his journey of salvation. Alagia's portrayal reflects Dante’s view of how christian women play a miraculous role in men’s achievement of salvation through their prayer.