[3] From the 16th century he is commonly identified as member of the family of Paganelli di Montemagno, which belonged to the Pisan aristocracy, but this has not been proven and contradicts earlier testimonies that suggest he was a man of rather humble origins.

Lucius had unwisely decided to take the offensive against the Roman Senate and was killed by a "heavy stone" thrown at him during an attack on the Capitol.

[11] He owed his elevation partly to the fact that no one was eager to accept an office the duties of which were at the time so difficult and dangerous and because the election was "held on safe Frangipani territory".

Bernardo's election was assisted by his being a pupil and friend of Bernard of Clairvaux, the most influential ecclesiastic of the Western Church and a strong promoter of the temporal authority of the popes.

"[11]Bernard was equally forthright in his views directly to Eugene, writing:"Thus does the finger of God raise up the poor out of the dust and lift up the beggar from the dunghill that he may sit with princes and inherit the throne of glory.

Eugene III appealed for help to Tivoli, Italy, to other cities at feud with Rome, and to King Roger II of Sicily (who sent his general Robert of Selby), and with their aid was successful in making such conditions with the Roman citizens as enabled him for a time to hold the semblance of authority in his capital.

[14] Earlier the same year, Eugenius issued the Militia Dei, allowing the Templar Order to charge tithes and fees for burials.

[15] At a great diet held at Speyer in 1146, King Conrad III of Germany and many of his nobles were also incited to dedicate themselves to the crusade by the eloquence of Bernard of Clairvaux, preached to an enormous crowd at Vézelay.

[11] The Second Crusade turned out to be "an ignominious fiasco"[11] and, after travelling for a year, the army abandoned their campaign after just five days of siege "having regained not one inch of Muslim territory.

[11] Eugene III held synods in northern Europe at Paris,[16] Rheims (March 1148),[17][18] and Trier in 1147[19] that were devoted to the reform of clerical life.

At the end of November 1149, through the aid of the king of Sicily, he was again able to enter Rome, but the atmosphere of open hostility from the Comune soon compelled him to retire (June 1150).