Raniero da Viterbo

This entry offers a concise biography of Cardinal Raniero da Viterbo (d. 27 May 1250), outlining his long curial career from Innocent III to Innocent IV and his wide-ranging roles (juridical, diplomatic, administrative, and political—especially in the anti–Frederick II campaigns). It highlights Raniero’s sustained engagement with religious movements, including close ties with Cistercians and Dominicans, and his documented encounter with Francis at the Pentecost chapter of 1221. The article emphasizes his part in shaping early Franciscan institutional and liturgical identity (notably contributions to the Office for St Francis) and follows later episodes such as his involvement in Assisi’s episcopal disputes and the contested memory of his burial, linked in particular to the Dominican house of S. Maria in Gradi at Viterbo.