Celestine III
Giacinto Bobone · 1191 – 1198
Elected at eighty-five, he crowned Henry VI emperor and struggled to restrain imperial power for nearly seven years.
Giacinto Bobone was a Roman nobleman and the oldest man elected pope, at about eighty-five years of age. On the day after his consecration, he crowned Henry VI as Holy Roman Emperor. He tried to resist Henry's ambitions in Sicily and southern Italy but had limited success. He approved new religious orders and confirmed the Teutonic Knights. Near the end of his life, he attempted to resign in favor of his preferred successor but was refused by the cardinals. He died in 1198 at about ninety-two.
Old Age and Empire
Celestine III was elected at an age when most men were long dead. He governed for nearly seven years, trying to hold off the ambitions of Henry VI with diplomacy rather than force. His advanced age limited his effectiveness, but he kept the Church functioning and made way for his successor, the far more formidable Innocent III.