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Pope Innocent IV (Latin: Innocentius IV; c. 1195 – 7 December 1254), born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in 1254. [1]
Innocent IV (born 12th century, Genoa—died Dec. 7, 1254, Naples) was one of the great pontiffs of the Middle Ages (reigned 1243–54), whose clash with Holy Roman emperor Frederick II formed an important chapter in the conflict between papacy and empire.
While he was lying in bed sick there, word reached Pope Innocent IV of the victory of his enemy Manfred over papal forces on December 2nd at Foggia. The news was so upsetting to Innocent that he died unexpectedly five days later on December 7, 1254 A.D. in Naples.
Cum non solum was a letter written by Pope Innocent IV to the Mongols on March 13, 1245. In it, Pope Innocent appeals to the Mongols to desist from attacking Christians and other nations, and inquires as to the Mongols' future intentions.
INNOCENT IV, POPE Pontificate: June 25, 1243 to Dec. 7, 1254; b. Sinibaldo dei Fieschi in Genoa, c. 1200; d. Naples. He was born into one of the most powerful noble families in northwestern Italy.
Pope Alexander IV (r.1254–1261) vigorously instructed King Bela IV (r. 1235–1270) to decline an offer of a marriage alliance with the Jochid Mongols in the Pontic steppes, better known as the Golden Horde.
The letter was a response to a 1245 letter, Cum non solum, from the pope to the Mongols. Güyük, who had little understanding of faraway Europe or the pope's significance in it, demanded the pope's submission and a visit from the rulers of the West to pay homage to Mongol power:
