Pope Honorius II (died 13 February 1130), born Lamberto Scannabecchi, is Pope from 21 December 1124 to 13 February 1130.
Although from a humble background, his obvious intellect and outstanding abilities see him promoted up through the ecclesiastical hierarchy.
Attached to the Frangipani family of Rome, his election as Pope is contested by a rival candidate, Celestine II, and force is used to guarantee his election.
His pontificate is concerned with ensuring that the privileges the Roman Church had obtained through the Concordat of Worms are preserved and, if possible, extended.
He is the first pope to confirm the election of the Holy Roman Emperor.
Distrustful of the traditional Benedictine order, he favors new monastic orders, such as the Augustinians and the Cistercians, and seeks to exercise more control over the larger monastic centers of Monte Cassino and Cluny Abbey.
He also approves the new military order of the Knights Templar in 1128.
He fails to prevent Roger II of Sicily from extending his power in southern Italy and is unable to stop Louis VI of France from interfering in the affairs of the French church.
Like his predecessors, he manages the wide-ranging affairs of the church through Papal Legates.
With his death in 1130, the Church is again thrown into confusion with the election of two rival popes, Innocent II and the antipope Anacletus II.
