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Pope Gregory V

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Pope
Gregory V
Bishop of Rome
Gregory V (left) anoints Otto III as Holy Roman Emperor (anachronistic drawing c. 1450; popes in the 10th century wore a white cap, not a papal tiara )
Gregory V (left) anoints Otto III as Holy Roman Emperor (anachronistic drawing c. 1450; popes in the 10th century wore a white cap, not a papal tiara )
Church Catholic Church
Papacy began 3 May 996
Papacy ended 18 February 999
Predecessor John XV
Successor Sylvester II
Orders
Created cardinal 995
Personal details
Born Bruno of Carinthia
c. 972
Stainach, Duchy of Carinthia, Holy Roman Empire
Died 18 February 999 (aged c. 27)
Rome, Papal States
Buried St. Peter's Basilica
Parents Otto I, Duke of Carinthia
Judith of Carinthia
Other popes named Gregory

Pope Gregory V (Latin: Gregorius V; c. 972 – 18 February 999), born Bruno of Carinthia, was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 3 May 996 to his death. A member of the Salian dynasty, he was made pope by his cousin, Emperor Otto III.

Family

Bruno was a son of Otto I, Duke of Carinthia,[1] a member of the Salian dynasty who was a grandson of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, and his wife, Judith of Carinthia, most likely a member of the Luitpolding dynasty. He is the only pope who was born in modern Austria, and is sometimes referred to as "the first German pope" or as "the only Austrian pope". German and Austrian identities were not clearly differentiated at the time of Gregory's life.[2][3]

Papal election

Bruno was the chaplain of his cousin, Emperor Otto III, who presented him as a candidate and arranged his election.[4][5] Bruno was elected and succeeded John XV as pope, taking the name Gregory V[6] to honour Pope Gregory the Great; he thus became the first pope to choose a regnal name for a reason other than avoiding a name that was too pagan or that of Saint Peter.[7] He is often counted as the first German pope (or the second if Boniface II, an Ostrogoth, is counted).[8] Following Otto's return to Germany, Gregory was forced to flee Rome, after the election of antipope John XVI, whom Crescentius II and the nobles of Rome had chosen against the will of Otto III.[5]

Policies

Politically, Gregory acted consistently as the Emperor's representative in Rome and granted many exceptional privileges to monasteries within the Holy Roman Empire. One of his first acts was to crown Otto III emperor on 21 May 996.[9] Together, they held a synod a few days after the coronation in which Arnulf, Archbishop of Reims, was ordered to be restored to his See of Reims,[10] and Gerbert of Aurillac, was condemned as an intruder. King Robert II of France, who had been insisting on his right to appoint bishops, was ultimately obliged to retract his claim, and also to put aside his wife, Bertha of Burgundy, by the rigorous enforcement of a sentence of excommunication on the kingdom.[11]

Until the conclusion of the council of Pavia in 997, John XVI and Crescentius were in possession of Rome. The revolt of Crescentius II was decisively suppressed by Otto III, who marched upon Rome. John XVI fled, and Crescentius shut himself up in the Castel Sant'Angelo. The Emperor's troops pursued the antipope, captured him, cut off his nose and ears, cut out his tongue, blinded him, and publicly degraded him before Otto III and Gregory V.[12] When the much respected St. Nilus of Rossano castigated both the Emperor and Pope for their cruelty, John XVI was sent to the monastery of Fulda in Germany, where he lived until c. 1001.[13] The Castel Sant'Angelo was besieged, and when it was taken in 998, Crescentius was hanged upon its walls.

Death

Pope Gregory V died suddenly on 18 February 999, at around 27 years old. The exact cause of his death is not known. Some later writers suggested he may have been poisoned, but there is no strong evidence to support this, and most modern historians treat it as uncertain.[14]

He was buried in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, near the tomb of Pope Pelagius I. His original tomb no longer exists, as it was likely removed during major rebuilding work on the basilica in the 16th century. However, records from that time mention his epitaph and burial location.[15]

Gregory was succeeded by Gerbert of Aurillac, who took the name Pope Sylvester II. This helped continue the strong connection between the papacy and the Holy Roman Empire under Emperor Otto III.[16]

Legacy

Pope Gregory V’s time as pope was important in the growing connection between the papacy and the Holy Roman Empire during the late 10th century. As the first pope from what is now Austria and Germany, his election showed how much influence the Ottonian emperors had over the Church at that time.[17]

Pope Gregory V worked closely with his cousin, Emperor Otto III, and supported imperial policies in Church matters. He gave special rights to many monasteries in the empire and took part in settling disputes over who should be bishops, including in the important cities of Reims and Canterbury.[18]

Many historians see Pope Gregory V as a figure who represented a turning point in the Church's history. His reign highlighted the close ties between the papacy and the empire, but also the problems that came with that relationship. Some of the issues that arose during his papacy, such as disputes over Church appointments and papal authority, would become major topics in later Church reforms[19]

See also

From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia

Pope Gregory V — Born c. 970; died 4 February, 999. On the death of John XV the Romans sent a deputation to Otto III and asked him to name the one he would wish them to elect in the place of the deceased pontiff. He at once mentioned his chaplain and relation, Bruno, the son of Duke Otto of Carinthia and of Judith. He was already (996) distinguished for learning, especially for his knowledge of the dialects which were to develop into the languages of modern Europe. If possessed of a somewhat hasty disposition, he was nevertheless a worthy candidate for the papacy, and his election did honour to the Romans who elected him. This first German pope was consecrated 3 May, 996, and his accession was generally hailed with satisfaction. One of his first acts was to crown Otto emperor (21 May, 996). Throughout the whole of his pontificate he acted in full harmony with his imperial cousin. Together they held a synod a few days after Otto's coronation, in which Arnulf was ordered to be restored to the See of Reims, and Gerbert, the future Sylvester II, was condemned as an intruder. Unfortunately for himself and the peace of the Church, he prevailed upon the emperor not to banish from Rome the turbulent noble Crescentius Numentanus, "of the Marble Horse". No sooner did Otto leave Rome than Crescentius roused his adherents to arms and Gregory had to fly to the north. Crescentius did not stop here, but caused an antipope to be proclaimed in the person of the crafty Italo-Greek John Philagathus of Rossano, who had artfully made a position for himself at the court of the Ottos and now took the title of John XVI (997).

At a synod which Gregory had ordered to meet at Pavia, not only were Crescentius and his antipope anathematized, but King Robert of France was threatened with excommunication if he did not put away Bertha whom he had married though she was related to him not only by spiritual relationship but by blood. After some opposition, Robert finally yielded, and, repenting of his misdeeds, repudiated Bertha and espoused Constance. Gerbert, too, after having been condemned by this synod also, abandoned the See of Reims, and was rewarded with the See of Ravenna. Furious that he authority had been so flouted, Otto marched upon Rome. Philagathus fled from the city and Crescentius shut himself up in the Castle of Sant' Angelo. The emperor's troops pursued the antipope, captured him, deprived him of his nose, ears, eyes, and tongue, and brought him back to Rome. There he was brought before Otto and the pope, and publicly degraded (998). Then, after being driven ignominiously through the streets of Rome on an ass, he was transported to Germany, where he seems to have died in the monastery of Fulda (1013). The castle of Sant' Angelo was next besieged, and, when it was taken, Crescentius was hanged upon its walls (998). About the year 997, Archbishop Aelfric came to Rome in order to procure his pallium, and to consult the pope about replacing the secular canons, who then held the cathedral of Canterbury, by monks, in accordance with the commission he had received from King Ethelred and the Witan. As a mark of special honour, Gregory put his own pallium on Aelfrie, and bade him put into his monastery at Canterbury "men of that order which the Blessed Gregory commanded Augustine therein to place". At the request of Otto, Gregory granted exceptional privileges to many German monasteries, and in his company held various synods for the regulation of ecclesiastical affairs. He had to threaten with anathema Ardoin, Marquess of Ivrea, if he did not make amends for his treatment of the property of St. Mary's of Ivrea, its serfs, and its bishop. Gregory V was buried in St. Peter's "in front of the sacristy, i.e. on the Gospel side, near Pope Pelagius".

DUCHESNE, ed., Liber Pontificalis, II, 261 sq.; twenty-two of Gregory's Bulls in P.L., CXXXVII; the chronicles of THIETMAN, LEO OF OSTIX, etc.; the annals of Hildesheim, Quedlinburg, etc.; the lives of SAINTS ADALBERT, ABBO, NILUS, etc.;the Historae of RADULPHUS GLABER. Cf. LENORMANT, La Grande Grece, I, 341 sqq.; SCHLUMBERGER, L'Epopee Byzantine, II; MANN, Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages, IV.

References

  1. Back to citation Brooke 2014, p. 438.
  2. Back to citation Gerhard Jelinek: Mutiger, klüger, verrückter: Frauen, die Geschichte machten, Amalthea Signum Verlag, 2020. (in German)
  3. Back to citation Stephan Vajda: Die Babenberger: Aufstieg einer Dynastie, Orac, 1986, p. 26. (in German)
  4. Back to citation Kalik & Uchitel 2019, p. 35.
  5. Back to citation occurrence 5.0 Back to citation occurrence 5.1 Baumgartner 2003, p. 17.
  6. Back to citation Kitchin 1922, p. 52.
  7. Back to citation McBrien 2000, p. 164.
  8. Back to citation McBrien 2000, p. 138.
  9. Back to citation Collins 2001, p. 191.
  10. Back to citation Glenn 2004, p. 109.
  11. Back to citation Duckett 1988, p. 130.
  12. Back to citation Levillain 2002, p. 646.
  13. Back to citation "Agasso, Domenico. "San Nilo da Rossano", Santi e Beati, 1 February 2001".
  14. Back to citation Mann, Horace Kinder (2014). The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages, Volume 4... - Primary Source Edition. Nabu Press (published 15 March 2014). ISBN 978-1293869475.
  15. Back to citation Rendina, Claudio (2002). The Popes: Histories and Secrets. Seven Locks Pr (published 1 January 2002). ISBN 978-1931643139.
  16. Back to citation Ullmann, Walter (2002). A Short History of the Papacy in the Middle Ages (2nd ed.). Routledge (published 19 December 2002). pp. 105–106. ISBN 978-0415302272.
  17. Back to citation Ullmann, Walter (2002). A Short History of the Papacy in the Middle Ages. Routledge (published 19 December 2002). pp. 104–105. ISBN 978-0415302272.
  18. Back to citation Reuter, Timothy (1991). Germany in the Early Middle Ages c. 800-1056 (Germany in the Early Middle Ages c. 800-1056 (Longman History of Germany) 1st ed.). Timothy Reuter (published 2 September 1991). pp. 189–190. ISBN 978-0582490345.
  19. Back to citation Tellenbach, Gerd (1993). The Church in Western Europe from the Tenth to the Early Twelfth Century (Cambridge Medieval Textbooks). Cambridge University Press (published 30 April 1993). pp. 56–58. ISBN 978-0521437110.

Bibliography

  • Baumgartner, Frederic J. (2003). Behind Locked Doors: A History of the Papal Elections. Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Brooke, Christopher (2014). Europe in the Central Middle Ages: 962-1154. Routledge.
  • Duckett, Eleanor Shipley (1988). Death and Life in the Tenth Century. University of Michigan Press.
  • Glenn, Jason (2004). Politics and History in the Tenth Century: The Work and World of Richer of Reims. Cambridge University Press.
  • Levillain, Philippe, ed. (2002). The Papacy: An Encyclopedia. Routledge.
  • McBrien, Richard P. (2000). Lives of the Popes: The Pontiffs from St. Peter to Benedict XVI. HarperCollins Publishers.
  • Kalik, Judith; Uchitel, Alexander (2019). Slavic Gods and Heroes. Routledge.
  • Collins, Roger (2001). Keepers Of The Keys Of Heaven: A History Of The Papacy. Basic Books.
  • Kitchin, William P.H. (1922). "A Pope-Philosopher of the Tenth Century: Sylvester II (Gerbert of Aurillac)". The Catholic Historical Review. 8 (1, April). Catholic University of America Press: 42–54.
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