Nicholas II (1010?-1061) became pope in 1059. His reign is best known for the Lateran synod (assembly) of 1059, which reformed the procedures for electing a new pope. Lateran refers to the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. The synod issued a decree stating that the cardinal bishops (high-ranking cardinals) in effect would propose a candidate for pope. Then all the cardinals would “elect” the candidate, which actually meant they would accept him. The pope-elect would be presented to the people of Rome for approval. A notice then would be sent to the Holy Roman emperor for his approval. The decree’s purpose was to prevent Roman nobles from interfering with papal elections. Later, the decree also was used to limit the emperor’s influence on papal elections.
The synod also issued laws enforcing celibacy (unmarried life) of the clergy and prohibiting simony (selling church offices) and lay investiture, by which nonreligious rulers presented clergymen with the symbols of their offices. Lay investiture enabled rulers to control who received church offices. To secure his electoral decree, Nicholas allied the papacy with the Normans, a group of Scandinavians in southern Italy. At times, this alliance effectively protected the popes from troubled Roman politics and German interference. At other times, the Normans themselves interfered in Rome.
Nicholas was born in Burgundy, or possibly Lorraine, France. His given name was Gerhard. He died on Oct. 27, 1061.
