NICHOLAS III  . (Giovanni Gaetano Orsini), pope from the 25th ,of November 1277 to the 22nd of August 128o, was a Roman nobleman who had served under eight popes, been made cardinal-deacon of St Nicola in carcere Tulliano by Innocent IV., protector of the Franciscans by Alexander IV., inquisitor-general by Urban IV., and succeeded John XXI., largely through family influence, after a six-months' vacancy in the Holy See . His brief pontificate was marked by several important events . A born politician, he greatly strengthened the papal position in Italy . He concluded a concordat with Rudolph of Habsburg in May 1278, by which the Romagna and the exarchate of Ravenna were guaranteed to the pope; and in July he issued an epoch-making constitution for the government of Rome, which forbade foreigners taking civil office . Nicholas issued the bull Exiit on the 14th of August 1279 to settle the strife within the Franciscan order between the parties of strict and loose observance . He repaired the Lateran and the Vatican at enormous cost, and erected a beautiful country house at Soriano near Viterbo . Nicholas, though a man of learning and strength of character, brought just reproach on himself for his efforts to found principalities for his nephews and other relations . He died from a stroke of apoplexy and was succeeded by Martin IV . See " Les Registres de Nicolas III.," published by Jules Gay in Bibliotheque des ecoles francaises d'Athenes et de Rome (Paris, 1898-1905) ; A . Potthast, Regesta pontif . Roman. vol .

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Berlin, 1875) ; A . Demski, " Papst Nikolaus III." in Kirchengeschichtliche Studien (Munster, i9o3); F . Gregorovius, Rome in the Middle Ages, vol . 5, trans. by Mrs G . W . Hamilton (London, 1900–1902); Fr . Wertsch, Die Beziehungen Rudolfs von Habsburg zur rom . Kurie bis zum Tode Nikolaus III . (Bochum, 188o) ; G . Palmieri, Introiti ed esiti di Papa Niccoib III . (Rome, 1889) . (C .

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