The papal election

Papal conclave

A papal conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a Bishop of Rome, who then becomes the Pope during a period of vacancy in the papal office. The Pope is considered by Roman Catholics to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and earthly head of the Roman Catholic Church...

of 1143 followed the death of Pope Innocent II

Pope Innocent II

Pope Innocent II , born Gregorio Papareschi, was pope from 1130 to 1143, and was probably one of the clergy in personal attendance on the antipope Clement III .-Early years:...

 and resulted in the election of Pope Celestine II

Pope Celestine II

Pope Celestine II , born Guido di Castello, was pope from 1143 to 1144.-Early life:Guido di Castello, possibly the son of a local noble, Niccolo di Castello, was born either in Città di Castello, situated in Paterna Santa Felicita upon the Apennines, or at Macerata in the March of Ancona.Guido had...

.

Election of Celestine II

Pope Innocent II died on 24 September 1143, at Rome. During the first eight years of his pontificate he faced the schism Antipope Anacletus II

Antipope Anacletus II

Anacletus II , born Pietro Pierleoni, was an Antipope who ruled from 1130 to his death, in a schism against the contested, hasty election of Pope Innocent II....

 (1130–1138), which finally ended in May 1138 with abdication and submission of Anacletus’ successor Antipope Victor IV (1138)

Antipope Victor IV (1138)

Victor IV , antipope for a short time in 1138.He was born in Ceccano as Gregorio Conti. Pope Paschal II created him cardinal-priest of SS. XII Apostoli ca. 1102, but in 1112 deposed him and replaced in his title, because he had severely criticised Victor IV (died after April 1139), antipope for a...

. The Second Lateran Council in April 1139 deposed from the ecclesiastical offices all former adherents of the Anacletus. However, despite the triumph over the antipope, the last years of Innocent' pontificate were not successful - papal armies were defeated by King Roger II of Sicily, who had received the crown from Anacletus II and demanded the recognition of his title from Innocent II. After the lost battle of Galluccio on July 22, 1139 the pope was taken prisoner by Roger and was forced to confirm all privileges given to the king by Anacletus II. Soon afterwards new serious problem arose at the city of Rome. In 1143, shortly before Innocent's death, the Roman people created a municipal commune which rejected the secular rule of the Papacy in the Eternal City. The election of Innocent’ successor took place in the shadow of this municipal revolution.

The cardinals present at Rome assembled in the Lateran Basilica and on 26 September 1143 elected Cardinal Guido del Castello of S. Marco, who had previously served as legate of Innocent II before king Roger in 1137, and was the first cardinal known to hold the title of magister

Magister

Magister is Latin for "master" or "teacher." It may refer to:* The Magister , an academic degreePositions or titles* A magister equitum, or Master of the Horse...

. He took the name Celestine II and was consecrated on the same day.

Cardinal-electors

There were probably 31 cardinals in the Sacred College of Cardinals in September 1143. Basing on the examination of the subscribtions of the papal bulls in 1143 and the available data about the external missions of the cardinals it is possible to establish that no more than 23 cardinals participated in the election:

Elector	Cardinalatial Title	Elevated	Elevator	Notes
Corrado Demetri della Suburra	Bishop of Sabina	1113/14	Paschalis II	Dean of the College of Cardinals Dean of the College of Cardinals The Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals is the president of the College of Cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church, and as such always holds the rank of Cardinal Bishop. The Dean is not necessarily the longest-serving member of the whole College... ; future Pope Anastasius IV (1153—1154)
Alberic de Beauvais, O.S.B.Cluny	Bishop of Ostia Bishop of Ostia The Bishop of Ostia is the head of the Suburbicarian Diocese of Ostia, one of the seven suburbicarian sees of Rome. The position is now attached to the post of Dean of the College of Cardinals, as it has been since 1150, with the actual governance of the diocese entrusted to the Vicar General of...	3 April 1138	Innocent II
Étienne de Châlons, O.Cist.	Bishop of Palestrina	21 February 1141	Innocent II
Icmar Icmar of Tusculum Icmar was a French cardinal.He entered the Benedictine order of the Congregation of Cluny in the monastery of Saint-Martin des Champes in Paris; for a some time, he was a monk at Cluny. Later, he became abbot of the monastery S. Maria Nuova in the diocese of Poitiers. He was a friend of St... , O.S.B.Cluny	Bishop of Tusculum	13 March 1142	Innocent II
Pietro Pietro Papareschi Pietro was an Italian cardinal created by Pope Innocent II on 17 September 1143. He is often referred to as brother of Innocent II and member of the Roman family of Papareschi but this is not attested in the contemporary sources. He signed the papal bulls as Cardinal-Bishop of Albano between 9...	Bishop of Albano	17 September 1143	Innocent II
Gerardo Caccianemici, Can.Reg.	Priest of S. Croce in Gerusalemme	9 March 1123	Callixtus II	Protopriest Protopriest Protopriest — in the College of Cardinals, is the first Cardinal-Priest in the order of precedence. This title is always attached to the most senior Cardinal Priest according to date of his creation. From the 17th century until the end of 19th century Protopriest usually opted for the titulus San... ; Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church; future Pope Lucius II (1144—1145)
Guido del Castello	Priest of S. Marco	1128/29	Honorius II	Elected Pope Celestine II
Guido Florentinus	Priest of S. Crisogono	1139	Innocent II
Rainiero	Priest of S. Prisca	22 December 1139	Innocent II
Gregorio della Suburra	Priest of S. Maria in Trastevere	1 March 1140	Innocent II
Tommaso	Priest of S. Vitale	1 March 1140	Innocent II
Pietro	Priest of S. Pudenziana	20 September 1140	Innocent II	Archpriest of the Vatican Basilica
Ubaldo	Priest of SS. Giovanni e Paolo	19 December 1141	Innocent II
Gregorio Tarquini Gregorio Tarquini Gregorio Tarquini was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Born in Rome, he was created cardinal deacon of Sts. Sergio e Bacco in December 1122...	Deacon of SS. Sergio e Bacco	9 March 1123	Callixtus II	Protodeacon Protodeacon Protodeacon derives from the Greek proto- meaning 'first' and diakonos, which is a standard ancient Greek word meaning "servant", "waiting-man," "minister" or "messenger." The word in English may refer to various clergymen, depending upon the usage of the particular church in question.-Eastern...
Odone Bonecase	Deacon of S. Giorgio in Velabro	4 March 1132	Innocent II
Ubaldo	Deacon of S. Maria in Via Lata	21 December 1134	Innocent II
Gerardo	Deacon of S. Maria in Domnica	27 May 1138	Innocent II
Ottaviano de Monticelli	Deacon of S. Nicola in Carcere	25 February 1138	Innocent II	Future Antipope Victor IV (1159–1164)
Pietro	Deacon of S. Maria in Aquiro	21 February 1141	Innocent II
Pietro	Deacon of S. Maria in Portico	19 September 1141	Innocent II
Guido	Deacon of the Holy Roman Church	19 December 1141	Innocent II
Gilberto	Deacon of S. Adriano	13 March 1142	Innocent II
Niccolo	Deacon of the Holy Roman Church	13 March 1142	Innocent II

Nineteen electors were created by Pope Innocent II

Pope Innocent II

Pope Innocent II , born Gregorio Papareschi, was pope from 1130 to 1143, and was probably one of the clergy in personal attendance on the antipope Clement III .-Early years:...

, two by Pope Callixtus II

Pope Callixtus II

Pope Calixtus II , born Guy de Vienne, the fourth son of William I, Count of Burgundy , was elected Pope on February 1, 1119, after the death of Pope Gelasius II . His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controversy, which he was able to settle through the Concordat of Worms...

, one by Pope Honorius II

Pope Honorius II

Pope Honorius II , born Lamberto Scannabecchi, was pope from December 21, 1124, to February 13, 1130. Although from a humble background, his obvious intellect and outstanding abilities saw him promoted through the ecclesiastical hierarchy...

 and one by Pope Paschalis II.

Absentees

Elector	Cardinalatial Title	Elevated	Elevator	Notes
Theodwin Theodwin Theodwin was a German cardinal and papal legate of the 12th century.-Biography:Theodwin was Abbot of Gorze from 1126 to ca... , O.S.B.	Bishop of Santa Rufina	21 December 1134	Innocent II	Papal legate in Germany
Goizo	Priest of S. Cecilia	22 December 1139	Innocent II	Papal legate in Lombardy
Rainaldo di Collemezzo, O.S.B.Cas.	Priest of SS. Marcellino e Pietro	ca. 1139–1141	Innocent II	Abbot of Montecassino (external cardinal External cardinal External cardinal is a term used to describe an opposite to the "curial cardinal," with reference to the certain category of the members of the College of Cardinals in the late Middle Ages... )
Ubaldo Allucingoli Pope Lucius III Pope Lucius III , born Ubaldo, was pope from 1 September 1181 to his death.A native of the independent republic of Lucca, he was born ca. 1100 as Ubaldo, son of Orlando. He is commonly referred to as a member of the aristocratic family of Allucingoli, but this is not proven...	Priest of S. Prassede	16 December 1138	Innocent II	Papal legate in Lombardy; future Pope Lucius III (1181–1185)
Guido Pisano	Deacon of SS. Cosma e Damiano	4 March 1132	Innocent II	Papal legate in Spain
Adinolfo, O.S.B.	Deacon of S. Maria in Cosmedin	16 December 1132	Innocent II	Abbot of Farfa (external cardinal External cardinal External cardinal is a term used to describe an opposite to the "curial cardinal," with reference to the certain category of the members of the College of Cardinals in the late Middle Ages... )
Guido de Castro Ficeclo	Deacon of S. Apollinare	1139	Innocent II	Papal legate in Bohemia and Moravia
Gregorio	Deacon of the Holy Roman Church	19 December 1141	Innocent II	Papal legate in Germany