Editing Pope Callixtus III

{{Short description|Head of the Catholic Church from 1455 to 1458}}
{{Redirect2|Calixtus III|Calistus III|the antipope|Antipope Callixtus III}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type = Pope
| honorific-prefix = [[List of popes|Pope]]
| title = [[Bishop of Rome]]
| name = Callixtus III
| church = [[Catholic Church]]
| term_start = 8 April 1455
| term_end = 6 August 1458
| predecessor = [[Nicholas V]]
| successor = [[Pius II]]
| consecration = 31 August 1429
| consecrated_by = [[Pierre de Foix, le vieux|Pierre de Foix]]
| cardinal = 2 May 1444
| created_cardinal_by = [[Eugene IV]]
<!-- Personal details -->
| image = Calixtus III.jpg
| caption = Portrait by [[Sano di Pietro]], 1455
| birth_name = Alfons de Borja
| birth_date = 31 December 1378
| birth_place = {{unbulleted list|[[Canals, Valencia|Canals]], [[Kingdom of Valencia|Valencia]], [[Crown of Aragon]]}}
| death_date = 	6 August 1458 (aged 79)
| death_place = [[Rome]], [[Papal States]]
| parents = [[Juan Domingo de Borja]]<br>Francina Llançol
| children = 
| previous_post = {{Indented plainlist|
*Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lerida (1420–1423)
*Apostolic Administrator of Mallorca (1424–1429)
*[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Valencia in Spain|Bishop of Valencia]] (1429–1455)
*[[Santi Quattro Coronati|Cardinal-Priest of Santi Quattro Coronati]] (1444–1455)
}}
| coat_of_arms = C o a Callistus III.svg
| other = Callixtus
| education = [[University of Lleida]]
}}
{{Infobox popestyles
|image            = File: C o a Callistus III.svg
|dipstyle         = [[His Holiness]]
|offstyle         = Your Holiness
|relstyle         = Holy Father
|deathstyle       = None
}}

'''Pope Callixtus III''' ({{langx|it|Callisto III}}, {{langx|ca-valencia|Calixt III}}, {{langx|es|Calixto III}}; 31 December 1378 – 6 August 1458), born '''Alonso de Borja''' ({{langx|ca-valencia|Alfons de Borja}}), was head of the [[Catholic Church]] and ruler of the [[Papal States]] from 8 April 1455 to his death, in August 1458.

Borgia spent his early career as a professor of law at the [[University of Lleida]]; he later served as a diplomat for the [[kings of Aragon]]. He became a tutor for [[Alfonso V of Aragon|King Alfonso V]]'s illegitimate son [[Ferdinand I of Naples|Ferdinand]]. After arranging a reconciliation between Alfonso and [[Pope Martin V]], Borgia was made Bishop of Valencia.

In 1444, [[Pope Eugene IV]] named him a [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|cardinal]], and Borgia became a member of the Roman Curia. During the [[siege of Belgrade (1456)]], Callixtus initiated the custom that bells be rung at midday to remind the faithful to pray for the crusaders. The tradition of the Angelus noon bell still exists in most Catholic churches to this day. He was also responsible for the retrial of [[Joan of Arc]] that saw her vindicated. He appointed two [[cardinal nephew|nephews as cardinals]], one of whom became [[Pope Alexander VI]]. He is the last pope to date to take on the pontifical name "Callixtus".

==Family==
Alfonso de Borgia was born in La Torreta in 1378. La Torreta was at the time in the [[Señorío de Torre de Canals]] (but is now a neighborhood of [[Novetlè]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://palomatorrijos.blogspot.hk/2013/06/anna-y-canals-valencia.html |title=Anna y Canals. Valencia |website=palomatorrijos |language=es |date=12 June 2013 |access-date=25 February 2014 |quote=...&nbsp;En el siglo XIV se construyó junto a la torre, y aprovechando parte de sus murallas, un pequeño Palacio Gótico que era la sede de la baronía de La Torre, independiente de Canals, cuyos titulares eran los Borgia. En este lugar nació en 1378 Alfonso Borgia, el que fuera futuro papa Calixto III.&nbsp;...' }}</ref> At the time he was born in the [[Kingdom of Valencia]] under the [[Crown of Aragon]]. He was the eldest child of [[Juan Domingo de Borja y Doncel]] and Francina Llançol. His sister Isabel married [[Jofré Llançol i Escrivà]] (son of [[Rodrigo Gil de Borja y Fennolet]]), and become the mother of [[Pedro Luis de Borja]] and [[Rodrigo de Borja|Pope Alexander VI]]. His other sister Catalina became of the mother of [[Luis de Milà y de Borja]].

Alfonso was baptized at Saint Mary's Basilica in [[Xativa]], where he is honored with a statue in his memory.<ref>Rolfe, p. 12</ref><ref>[http://m.inmagine.com/image-ptg01400931-Statue-of-Pope-Calixtus-III%20St.-Mary%27s-Basilica%20La-Seu-Cathedral%20X%C3%A0tiva-%28J%C3%A1tiva%29%20Valencia%20Spain%20Europe.html Statue of Pope Calixtus III, St. Mary's Basilica, La Seu Cathedral, Xàtiva, Valencia, Spain], {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141120141216/http://m.inmagine.com/image-ptg01400931-Statue-of-Pope-Calixtus-III%20St.-Mary%27s-Basilica%20La-Seu-Cathedral%20X%C3%A0tiva-%28J%C3%A1tiva%29%20Valencia%20Spain%20Europe.html |date=20 November 2014 }}</ref>

==Early church career==
Borgia studied grammar, logic and the arts in Valencia and went in 1392 to the [[University of Lleida]] where he obtained a [[doctorate]] in both [[canon law]] and [[Civil law (legal system)|civil law]]. His early career was spent as a professor of [[law]] at the University of Lleida. Around 1411, he attended a sermon by [[Vincent Ferrer]]. Afterward, the [[Order of Preachers|Dominican]] said to the future pope: "My son, you one day will be called to be the ornament of your house and of your country. You will be invested with the highest dignity that can fall to the lot of man. After my death, I shall be the object of your special honour. Endeavor to persevere in a life of virtue."<ref>Rolfe, pp. 12–13</ref> Later, as pope, Borgia [[canonized]] Ferrer on 3 June 1455.<ref>{{cite book|last=Reinhart|first=Albert|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15437a.htm|title=St. Vincent Ferrer.|work=The Catholic Encyclopedia|volume=15|year=1912|publisher=New York: Robert Appleton Company}}</ref>

Borgia was chosen as a delegate of the [[Diocese of Lerida]] to the [[Council of Constance]] in 1416, but did not partake in the proceedings as King [[Alfonso V of Aragon]] was opposed to the council. Because of this he went to Barcelona as a representative of his diocese in a synod. Borgia cared strongly for the reestablishment of the unity of the church and his influence with the Aragonese monarch was the factor that allowed for the conclusion of the accord between the king and the new pope.

In 1418, he was named as the rector of San Nicolas of Valencia. He was also the vice-chancellor of the University of Lleida from 1420 to 1423. In 1424, he resigned his position and dedicated his service to the Aragonese king. In 1424, he was named as the apostolic administrator of the see of Mallorca. It was at that time that the king desired that he be made a [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinal]]; [[Pope Martin V]] refused the request. During the [[Great Western Schism]] he supported [[Antipope Benedict XIII]] and was also the driving force behind [[Antipope Clement VIII]]'s submission to [[Pope Martin V]] in 1429.<ref>McBrien, p. 260</ref> He then served as a diplomat to the kings of [[Aragon]], especially during the [[Council of Basel]] (1431–1439).

==Episcopate and cardinalate==
[[File:BORJA ALFONSO.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Cardinal Borgia]]
Borgia was appointed [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Valencia in Spain|Bishop of Valencia]] by [[Pope Martin V]] on 20 August 1429 and was [[episcopal consecration|consecrated]] on 31 August 1429. He authorized Pedro Llorens to take possession of the see in his name.<ref name=MacCaffrey>{{cite web| url = http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03187a.htm| title = MacCaffrey, James. "Pope Callistus III." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 24 Jul. 2014}}</ref> Borgia also tutored Alfonso V's illegitimate son [[Ferdinand I of Naples|Ferrante]].

[[Pope Eugene IV]] elevated him to the [[cardinalate]] on 2 May 1444 after he managed to reconcile the pope and King Alfonso V of Aragon. He was elevated as the [[Santi Quattro Coronati|Cardinal-Priest of Santi Quattro Coronati]]. He took up his official residence in [[Rome]] and was a member of the [[Roman Curia]]. He participated in the [[Papal conclave, 1447|papal conclave of 1447]] that saw the election of [[Pope Nicholas V]]. He was known for an austere and charitable life.

Borgia's [[coat of arms]] after he was consecrated featured a grazing ox. As pope it remained the same.

==Pontificate==
Borgia was elected [[pope]] at an advanced age as a "compromise candidate" in the [[Papal conclave, 1455|conclave of 8 April 1455]]. He took the pontifical name Callixtus III.<ref name=MacCaffrey/> He was [[papal coronation|crowned]] on 20 April 1455 by Cardinal [[Protodeacon]] [[Prospero Colonna (cardinal)|Prospero Colonna]]. After his coronation, he rode a white horse through the streets of the city and followed the ancient custom, known as Monte Giordano, where representatives of the Jews met with the pope and presented him with the roll of the law. Callixtus III then read from the law and stated "We ratify the law, but condemn your interpretation", which instigated a riot at the ceremony that endangered the pope's life.<ref>Pastor, pp. 337-338</ref>

Not quite two years after the [[Fall of Constantinople]] in 1453, Callixtus was chiefly concerned with the organization of Christian Europe against an invasion by the [[Ottoman Empire]]. At the time, it was said that Callixtus III "speaks and thinks of nothing but the crusade", spending hours discussing the topic with a warlike zeal.<ref>Pastor, p. 348</ref> An extensive building program underway in Rome was cancelled and the money funneled toward a crusade. [[Papal nuncio]]s were dispatched to all the countries of Europe to beseech the princes to join once more in an effort to check the danger of a Turkish invasion. Missionaries were sent to [[Kingdom of England|England]], [[Kingdom of France|France]], [[Kingdom of Germany|Germany]], [[Kingdom of Hungary|Hungary]], [[Kingdom of Portugal|Portugal]], and Aragon to preach the Crusade, and to engage the prayers of the faithful for the success of the enterprise. It was by order of Callixtus III that the bells were rung at midday to remind the faithful that they should pray for the welfare of the crusaders.<ref name=MacCaffrey/>

The princes of Europe were slow in responding to the call of the pope, largely due to national rivalries. England and France's [[Hundred Years' War]] had just ended in 1453. Forces led by [[John Hunyadi]] ({{langx|hu|Hunyadi János}}), Captain-General of Hungary, met the Turks and defeated them at [[Siege of Belgrade (1456)|Belgrade]] on 22 July 1456. Shortly after his victory, Hunyadi himself died of a fever.<ref name=MacCaffrey/> On 29 June 1456, Callixtus III ordered the church bells to be rung at noon (see [[noon bell]]) as a call to prayer for the welfare of those defending Belgrade. To commemorate this victory, Callixtus III ordered the [[Feast of the Transfiguration]] to be held annually on 6 August.

[[File:Bolla papale di callisto III sulla restituzione di beni al convento della sambuca, roma 20 giugno 1455.jpg|thumb|A bull of Callixtus III]]
In 1456 the pope issued the [[papal bull]] ''Inter Caetera'' (not to be confused with ''Inter Caetera'' of 1493), reaffirming the earlier bulls ''[[Dum Diversas]]'' and ''[[Romanus Pontifex]]'' which recognized Portugal's trade rights in territories it had discovered along the West African coast. This confirmation of ''Romanus Pontifex'' also gave the Portuguese the military [[Order of Christ (Portugal)|Order of Christ]] under [[Henry the Navigator]].<ref>''European treaties bearing on the history of the United States and its Dependencies to 1648'', ed. Frances Gardiner Davenport, (Carnegie Institute of Washington, 1917), 27.</ref>

Callixtus III ordered a [[Retrial of Joan of Arc|new trial]] for [[Joan of Arc]] (c.&nbsp;1412–1431), at which she was posthumously vindicated.<ref>{{cite book|last=Castor|first=Helen|title=Joan of Arc|publisher=HarperCollins|year=2015|pages=231, 241}}</ref> Callixtus III canonized the following four saints during his pontificate: [[Vincent Ferrer]] (3 June 1455), [[Osmund (bishop of Salisbury)|Osmund]] (1 January 1457), [[Albert of Trapani]] (15 October 1457), and [[Rose of Viterbo]] (1457).

Callixtus III [[Cardinals created by Callixtus III|elevated]] nine new cardinals into the cardinalate in two consistories on 20 February 1456 and 17 December 1456,<ref>Miranda, Salvador. [http://www2.fiu.edu/~mirandas/consistories-xv.htm#CallixtusIII Consistories for the creation of Cardinals: 15th Century (1394-1503)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170512160255/http://www2.fiu.edu/~mirandas/consistories-xv.htm#CallixtusIII |date=12 May 2017 }} ''The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church.'' Retrieved 29 January 2016.</ref> two of whom were [[cardinal nephews]]. The first of them was Rodrigo de Borgia who later became [[Pope Alexander VI]] (1492–1503), infamous for his corruption and immorality.<ref>Montor, p. 190.</ref> The second was [[Luis Julian de Milà]].

The pope approved of the establishment of the [[University of Greifswald]] in 1456.

According to one story that first appeared in a 1475 posthumous biography and was subsequently embellished and popularized by [[Pierre-Simon Laplace]], Callixtus III [[excommunicated]] the 1456 appearance of [[Halley's Comet]], believing it to be an ill omen for the Christian defenders of [[Belgrade]] from the besieging armies of the [[Ottoman Empire]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia
|title=Bartolomeo Platina|author=John Stein
|encyclopedia=The Catholic Encyclopedia|editor=Charles George Herbermann
|year=1913|publisher=Robert Appleton Co.|volume=12|pages=158–159
|oclc=1017058|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12158a.htm
}}</ref> No known primary source supports the authenticity of this account. The 29 June 1456 [[papal bull]] of Callixtus III calling for a public prayer for the success of the crusade makes no mention of the comet. By 6 August, when the Turkish siege was broken, the comet had not been visible in either Europe or Turkey for several weeks.<ref>{{cite journal| url = http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1910PA.....18..214R| title = Rigge, William F. "An Historical Examination of the Connection of Calixtus III with Halley's Comet", ''Popular Astronomy'', p. 214, 1910| bibcode = 1910PA.....18..214R| last1 = Rigge| first1 = William F.| journal = Popular Astronomy| year = 1910| volume = 18| page = 214}}</ref>

==Death==
[[File:S M in Monserrato - tomba dei papi Borgia P1000272.JPG|thumb|upright|Tomb of Callixtus III and Alexander VI in [[Santa Maria in Monserrato degli Spagnoli]].]]
Callixtus III died on 6 August 1458. His remains were transferred in 1586 and again in 1610 with the remains of his nephew Alexander VI to [[Santa Maria in Monserrato]]. His remains were transferred once more on 21 August 1889 in the chapel of San Diego. In his will he left 5000 [[ducat]]s to establish a hospital.

==Legacy==
Catholic historian [[Ludwig von Pastor]] opined:
{{Blockquote|text="Except for his nepotism, Calixtus III deserves high praise, more especially for the energy, constancy and purpose which he displayed in dealing with the burning question of the day – the protection of Western civilization from the Turkish power. In this matter he gave a grand example to Christendom, and it is to be observed that in the midst of the military and political interest which claimed so large a share of his time and attention, he did not neglect the internal affairs of the Church, and vigorously opposed heresies."<ref>Pastor, pp. 479–480</ref>}}

==See also==
*[[List of popes from the Borgia family]]
*[[Cardinals created by Callixtus III]]
*[[Route of the Borgias]]

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
*{{Cite book |last=Coulombe |first=Charles A. |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofpopesvi0000coul |title=A History of the Popes : Vicars of Christ |date=2003 |publisher=MJF Books |isbn=1-56731-747-2 |location=New York }}
* Davenport, Frances Gardiner, editor (1917). ''European treaties bearing on the history of the United States and its Dependencies to 1648'', Carnegie Institute of Washington.
* Gower, Ronald Sutherland (2007). ''Joan of Arc'', BiblioBazaar LLC.
*{{Cite book |last=Hibbert |first=Christopher |author-link=Christopher Hibbert |url=https://archive.org/details/borgiastheirenem0000hibb |title=The Borgias and their Enemies : 1431-1519 |date=2009 |publisher=Mariner Books |isbn=978-0-547-24781-6 |location=Boston}}
*{{cite encyclopedia |title=Callistus III |encyclopedia=A Dictionary of Popes |year=2015 |last=Kelly |first=J. N. D.  |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-179545-9 |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780191795459.001.0001/acref-9780191795459-e-247 }}
* Montor, Artaud de; François, Alexis (1911). ''The Lives and Times of the Popes'', Vol. 4. Catholic Publication Society of America.
* McBrian, Richard P. (2000). ''[https://archive.org/details/livesofpopes00mcbr/ Lives of the Popes: The pontiffs from St Peter to John Paul II]'', San Francisco: HarperCollins. {{ISBN|978-0060653040}}
* [[Frederick Rolfe|Rolfe, Frederick]] (1901). ''[https://archive.org/details/chroniclesofhous00rolf Chronicles of the House of Borgia]'', E.P. Dutton & Co.
* Pastor, Ludwig von (1899). ''History of the Popes'', [https://archive.org/details/thehistoryofthep02pastuoft Vol. 2] (Second Edition, translated by Frederick Ignatius Antrobus).

==External links==
{{commons category|Callistus III}}
{{wikiquote}}
* ''European treaties bearing on the history of the United States and its Dependencies to 1648'', Ed. Frances Gardiner Davenport, Carnegie Institute of Washington, 1917. [https://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=23628818] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623192928/http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=23628818 |date=23 June 2011 }}
*[http://sites.google.com/site/diarioborjaborgia/Home DIARIO BORJA BORGIA (Spanish)]
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Calixtus |display=Calixtus s.v. Calixtus III.|short=x}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-rel|ca}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Nicholas V]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Pope]]|years=8 April 1455 – 6 August 1458}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Pius II]]}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Hug de Llupià]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Valencia in Spain|Bishop of Valencia]]|years=20 August 1429 – 8 April 1455}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Rodrigo de Borja]]}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Louis II de Luxembourg|Louis de Luxembourg]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Santi Quattro Coronati|Cardinal-Priest of Santi Quattro Coronati]]|years=12 July 1444 – 8 April 1458}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Luis Julian de Milà|Luis Juan del Milà y Borja]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Popes}}
{{Catholicism}}
{{History of the Catholic Church}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Callixtus 3}}
[[Category:Pope Callixtus III| ]]
[[Category:1378 births]]
[[Category:1458 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Costera]]
[[Category:Popes]]
[[Category:Spanish popes]]
[[Category:15th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the Kingdom of Aragon]]
[[Category:Archbishops of Valencia]]
[[Category:House of Borgia]]
[[Category:Burials at Santa Maria in Monserrato degli Spagnoli]]
[[Category:Renaissance Papacy]]
[[Category:People associated with the University of Greifswald]]
[[Category:15th-century popes]]