VIII (Albero de Mora), Pope, was a native of Benevento. He succeeded Urban III, Oct. 21, 1187, and died at Pisa Dec. 16, 1187. His short reign was unimportant. He has generally been considered as a learned, eloquent, and virtuous man. He attempted a crusade to the Holy Land, and the cardinals them- selves promised to join him, and to contribute their riches towards the undertaking, but these promises were onXy given to be evaded, (iregory's last act was to attempt a reconciliation between tlie inhal)itants of Pisa and those of Genoa. — Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Gene- rale, xxi, 814.
IX (UuoLiNO, COUNT OF Scgni), Pope, was a native of Anagni, and a relative of Innocent III. He succeed- ed Ilonorius III, March 19, 1227. He followed careful- ly in tlie footsteps of Gregory ^TI and of Innocent III, U]]holding the sec of Rome as the master of all empires and sujierior to all kings. His consecration took place
with unusual magnificence : he celebrated mass at St. John Lateran in vestments covered with gold and precious stones ; then, mounting a richly-harnessed horse, and surrounded b}' cardinals clothed in purple and gold, he made a triumphant procession through the streets of Rome, which were decked with carpets and flowers for the occasion. The emperor Frederick II had a powerful party devoted to him in Rome; it became desirable to remove him from too close proxim- ity with that city, and in order to achieve this, Greg- ory' reminded him of his vow of visiting the Holy Land, and commanded him to go at once. At tlie mo- ment of embarking- Frederick fell sick at Otranto, but Gregory, who believed his illness to be feigned, excom- municated him, and notified all the churches of it. Frederick, on the other hand, wrote to all the princes complaining of the pope's proceedings. Gregory, in return, excommunicated him again, and threatened to take the empire from him. Frederick, disregarding this absurd threat, excited the Romans to revolt against Gregory, who, insulted even when saving mass, was obliged to retire first to Rieto, then to Spole- to, and finally to Perugia. F'rederick, leaving Raynald at Rome to treat with the pope, embarked now for Pal- estine against the orders of Gregory. Ea3'uald, in the mean time, having organized an armj', invaded the pa- pal states. Gregory put his forces under the orders of Roger of Aquila, and war began in earnest in 1228. Such, it is said, is the origin of the two factions, after- wards so celebrated, of the Gitclphs and GMbellines, the former acting for the pope, the latter for the emperor. Frederick, forestalled in Palestine bj' the emissaries of Gregory, badly seconded by the Christians of S^'ria, and, besides, being desirous of returning to Italj', where Raynald had been defeated hy the papal troops, concluded a ten years' truce with the sultan of Egypt, and, though excommunicated, caused himself to be crowned king of Jerusalem, after which he returned to Europe. The pope, on hearing of his arrival, excom- municated him anew, and released his subjects from their allegiance. Frederick oflered to submit, and ask- ed for absolution ; peace was in consequence concluded Aug. 28, 1230. The Romans again drove away the pope (July 20, 1232). He succeeded in going back to Rome in 1235. War soon broke out again. Frederick, having taken Sardinia, gave it to his natural son, Henry ; the pope claimed it for himself. Neither liad any right to it, and neither would give it up to the other. Frederick was excommunicated a fourth time in 1239. Frederick marched against Rome, but Greg- ory died before he reached it, Aug. 20, 1241. Tlie principal traits of Gregor3''s character were pride and haughtiness ; he aimed at extending the privileges of the Church at any cost. In this he received no help except from the king of England, who gave tithes to the see of Rome in exchange for the deposition of a bishop. St. Louis, even when threatened with excom- munication, refused to free the clei'gy from their re- sponsibilit}' to civil jurisdiction. Gregory was well acquainted W'ith civil and canon law, and in 1234 pub- lished a collection of decretals which were often re- printed : Xova Cojnpilatio Decretalium, cum glussa (1st ed. Mentz, 1473, fol.). There are also 31 letters and 191 fragments of his writings in Labbe, Concil. xi.310; 56 letters in L'ghelli, Italia Saci-a ; 9 in Vossius ; 1 bull in Duchesne, Historue, v, 861 ; and 1 in Mal)illon, p. 421, No. 106.— Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Gin. xxi, 814 sq.
X, I'opc, previously known as TEBAi.no de' Vis- CONTi, was born at Piacenza, of the illustrious family of Visconti. He was chosen pope while absent with the prince of Wales in the Holy Land. The see had been vacant nearly three years after the death of Clement IV. Gregory greatly encouraged the Crusades. In 1271 he summoned the Council of Lyons, which con- vened in 1271. See Lyons. He died at Arezzo, Jan. 19, 1276. This pope instituted the regulations of the conclave nearly as they exist at the present time.
GREGORY
1005
GREGORY
There are twenty-five epistles of Gregory in Labbe, Concil. vol. xi. Gerard Vossius published his Vita et Epistolx (Grli. and Lat. Rome, 1587). See Bower, Hist, of Popes, vol. viii ; Bonacci, Pontif. Gregorio X (Rome, 1711, 4to).