Pope Clement II
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Clement II, né Suidger of Morsleben (died October 9, 1047), pope (December 25, 1046 - October 9, 1047), son of Count Konrad of Morsleben and Hornburg and his wife Amulrad. Before he was elected pope, Suidger had been bishop of Bamberg from 1040 to 1046.
King Henry III nominated Suidger for the Papacy upon the abdication of Pope Gregory VI (December 1046). Immediately after his election, Pope Clement crowned Henry as Holy Roman Emperor. All this was met with criticism from church reformers, although Clement's pontificate, starting with the Roman synod of 1047, initiated an improvement on the state of things in the Catholic church, particularly through enacting decrees against simony.
Clement died in October 1047, and was interred at Bamberg, which he had loved dearly. A recent toxicologic examination of his remains confirmed centuries old rumors that Clement had been poisoned with lead sugar. It is, however, not clear whether he was assassinated or not, as lead sugar in those times was often used as a cure for venereal diseases. Clement's tomb in the western choir of the Bamberg Cathedral is the only tomb of a pope north of the Alps.
See also: other popes named Clement.
| Preceded by: Gregory VI | Pope 1046–1047 | Succeeded by: Benedict IX Template:End boxde:Klemens II. (Papst) fr:Clément II it:Papa Clemente II fi:Klemens II pt:Papa Clemente II |