Pope John XXI

Pope John XXI, born Pedro Julião (c. 1215 – 20 May 1277), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 September 1276 until his death. He is the only Portuguese pope in history. He is sometimes identified with the logician and herbalist Peter of Spain, which would make him the only pope to have been a physician. Born in Lisbon to Julião Pais and Mor Mendes, he studied at the episcopal school of Lisbon Cathedral and later at the University of Paris, focusing on medicine, theology, logic, physics, metaphysics, and Aristotle's dialectic. He taught at the University of Siena and his "Summulae Logicales" was a standard textbook on Aristotelian logic for centuries. He served as councilor and spokesman for King Afonso III of Portugal and later became prior of Guimarães. He was elected Archbishop of Braga in March 1273 but did not assume the post, instead being created Cardinal Bishop of Tusculum (Frascati) by Pope Gregory X on 3 June 1273. After the death of Pope Adrian V, Pedro Julião was elected pope on 8 September 1276 and crowned on 20 September. His brief papacy saw him reverse a decree from the Second Council of Lyon concerning papal elections, attempt to launch a crusade for the Holy Land, and push for a union with the Eastern church. He excommunicated Afonso III of Portugal for interfering with episcopal elections and sent legates to Kublai Khan. He died on 20 May 1277, from injuries sustained when a ceiling collapsed in an apartment he had added to the papal palace at Viterbo. He was buried in the Duomo di Viterbo.