Person

Name: Niccolò III

Alternate Names:

• Giovanni Gaetano Orsini
• Nicholas III

Nature: historical

(Ecclesiastical)

Gender: male

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.

Associated Locations:

• Roma
• Malebolge

Images: