Pope Urban III
Urban III pope from (
1185-
1187), was by born Uberto Crivelli in
Milan, and was made
cardinal and archbishop of Milan by
Lucius III, whom he succeeded (
November 25 1185). He vigorously took up his predeccessor's quarrels with the emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa, including the standing dispute about the succession of territories of the countess
Matilda of Tuscany. Even after his elevation to the
Papacy he continued to hold the archbishopric of Milan, and in this capacity refused to crown as king of Italy Frederick's son
Henry, who had married
Constantia, the heiress of the kingdom of
Sicily. While Henry in the south co-operated with the rebel senate of Rome, Frederick in the north blocked the passes of the
Alps and cut off all communication between the pope, then living in
Verona, and his German adherents. Urban now resolved on
excommunicating Frederick, but the Veronese protested against such a proceeding being resorted to within their walls; he accordingly withdrew to
Ferrara, but died (
October 19) before he could give effect to his intentions. His successor was
Gregory VIII.
According to legend, he died of grief upon hearing news of the Crusader defeat in July of 1187 at the Battle of Hattin.
----
from the 9th edition (1880) of an unnnamed encyclopedia