Victor III

pope and successor to Gregory VII, was a son of Landulph V, prince of Benevento. His name was Desiderius, and he had been abbot of Monte Casino. Chosen by Gregory, he was elected by the cardinals to the papal chair in 1086, but refused to obey their call. He laid aside the papal insignia in solemn form at Terracina, and returned to his monastery, but in the spring of 1087 was nevertheless induced to enter on the high office for which he had been selected. He displayed much of the energetic spirit and tendency of his predecessor. At Benevento he excommunicated his rival, Clement III, and at the same time forbade all investiture of clergymen by the laity, called upon the Italians to undertake a sort of crusade against the Saracens of Africa, and instructed all bishops and ecclesiastics to avoid all association with the archbishop Hugo of Lyons, who, with the abbot Richard of Marseilles, had rebelled against his authority and grossly maligned his person. While engaged in the prosecution of far-reaching plans, he was suddenly cut down by death, in September, 1087, after having been the actual possessor of the papal chair during scarcely half a year. See Leo Ostiens. Chronicles Casin. contin. a Petr. Diacon., bk. 3, c. 71, p. 480 sq.; Muratori, Gesch. Ital. in Mittelalter (Germ. transl.), 6:464 sq.