Alexander III (1105-1181) was elected pope in 1159. The Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I supported an antipope, Victor IV, who had been elected by a minority of the cardinals. The split between the emperor and papacy caused a division within the papacy that resulted in the election of four antipopes during Alexander’s reign. During the split, Alexander spent long periods away from Rome because the emperor made it impossible for him to reside there. Alexander allied himself with the city-states of northern Italy, which formed the Lombard League to resist imperial authority. After a long war, the league defeated Frederick at the Battle of Legnano in 1176. Frederick was forced to make peace with the papacy and finally recognized Alexander as pope in 1177.
In 1179, Alexander held a church council called the Third Lateran Council. He issued a number of important decrees, including a requirement that future popes be elected by two-thirds of the cardinals.
Alexander was born in Siena, Italy. His given and family name was Rolando Bandinelli. He died on Aug. 30, 1181.
