Pope Gelasius II

Giovanni Caetani was a monk at Monte Cassino and served as chancellor under Pope Paschal II before the cardinals unanimously elected him in January 1118. The timing was grim: he inherited an empire-sized problem the moment he took the name Gelasius II. Emperor Henry V wanted the power to appoint bishops, and the new pope refused to bend. What followed was less a papacy than a long escape, with Gelasius spending much of his single year in office on the run. He died in exile on 29 January 1119, a year and five days after his election, the investiture conflict still burning.