High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! External cardinal is a term used to describe an opposite to the "curial cardinal," with reference to the certain category of the members of the College of Cardinals in the late Middle Ages (11th to 13th century). In a strict sense, the "external cardinal" was a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church who did not reside in the Roman Curia, because of simultaneously being a bishop of the episcopal see other than suburbicarian, or abbot of an abbey situated outside Rome. In the wider sense, it may also concern cardinals who were appointed to the external episcopal sees and resigned their memberships in the College of Cardinals with this appointment. As well, it can concern cardinals who were generally curial cardinals, but for some time exercised the posts of administrators or prelates of the external churches.