Name: Niccolò III
Birth Date: 1210
Death Date: 1280
Description: Pope from 1277-1280. While Dante and some contemporaries condemn him as a nepotist and simonist (he made three of his relatives cardinals), others view him more benignly. Nicholas III tried to steer clear of involvement with Charles I of Anjou, effected an accord between moderate and extreme (Spirituals) Franciscans, and sought to alleviate the suffering of the poor.