GREGORY. 



t^lienllif prefbyterarrired, he underftood that the emperors 

 Hot only maiHt;iine<l their ground, but were determined to 

 extirpate image worfhip, and thofe who prefumed to julHfy 

 it : he therefore thought it moll prudent to return to Rome 

 vvitliout acquainting them with the objecl of }iis mifhon. 

 On his arrival, tlie pope was fo exalpcrated at the pufillani- 

 mity which he had (hewn, that be called a council to de- 

 termine upon fome exemplary punidiment, but, upon his 

 promile of going back and executing his mifTion, he was 

 pardoned. He immediately let out, but as foon as lie had 

 landed in Sicily, in his way to the imperial court, he was 

 arrellcd, his letter taken from him, and lie himfelf fent 

 into exile. In the year 732, Gregory held a council at 

 Rome to revenge himielf upon tlie emperor for fending his le- 

 gate into banilhment, and lie procured a decree to be parted, 

 ellablilhing the worlliip of images, and denounced excommu- 

 nication againll all Who (liould prelume to pull down, de- 

 ilroy, protanc, or blafpheme them : lie even expended ini- 

 nienle funis on the purchafe of ])iftures and llatnes with 

 which he filled tlie churches at Rome, and encouraged the 

 people in tlie daily worlhip of them : he likewife caufed re- 

 lics to be brought from all parts to^Rome, where he erected a 

 iTiagnilicent building for their reception and worlhip, appoint- 

 ing them an appropriate lervice, and monks to perforin it. 

 He made another uufuccetsful effort to\vards the converfion 

 of the emperor, who, weary of his applications, prepared to 

 reduce the pontiff, and the Romans v/ho fupported him, to 

 obedience by force. Upon this event, the people of Rome, 

 at the inlUgation of the pope, withdrew from all fubjeCtion 

 to the emperor, and formed themfelves into a kind of repub- 

 lic, in which they were governed by magiftrates appointed 

 by their own authority, under the pope, not as prince, but 

 only as their head. After this they were involved in holli- 

 lities with Luitrand, king of the Lombards, who ravaged 

 their wlwle country, and even laid iiege to the city. In 

 this extremity, Gregory applied for aliitlance to Charles Mar- 

 tel, who refufed to interfere till propofals were made that 

 the pope and Roman people fhould folemnly renounce their 

 cjlegiance to the emperor, as an avowed heretic, and perie- 

 cntor of the church, and that they ihould acknowledge 

 Charles for their protector, and confer on him the confular 

 dignity ; and. on the other hand, Charles was to engage 

 to protect aiid defend the pope, 'he Roman church, and the 

 people of Rome, agamil the Lombards, and likewife againll 

 the emperor, (hould they eitlier be attacked or moleiled. 

 To thefe terms Charles readily acceded, and as foon as 

 Luitrand heard of the treaty he abandoned the fiege of Rome, 

 and retired to his own dominions. Gregory did not live long 

 to enjoy the fruits of this policy, which contributed materially 

 to the ieparatioa of the Itahan provinces from the Grecian 

 empire. He died in 741, after a pontificate of between ten 

 and eleven years. The only literary remains of tliis pope are 

 " Seven Letters,'' which are to be found in tlie fourth vol. of 

 the " ColieCl. Concil." Moreri. 



GuEGcJitv IV., pope, a native of Rome, tucceeded to 

 the high office on the death of Valentine, in the year 827. 

 He is commended for his extraordinary piety, of which 

 i^ome of the ilrongefl teilimonies are repairing and adorning 

 churclies and iiionalleries, and inllituting the tellival ot 

 "All Souls" day. When the quarrel took place between the 

 emperor Lewis le Debonnaire, and iiis fons, Lotliarius per- 

 iuaded the pope to accompany him into France, to mediate 

 a reconciliation between hira and his father. \Vhen the 

 pope had ferved this piirpofe, he was permitted to return to 

 Rome, where the bell action performed by him that we read 

 of, was his rebuilding and fortifying the city of Ollia, as 

 a protedion againll the defccnts of the Saracens. This 



Voj-.XVL 



pope died in 844, having prefidcd over the Roman church 

 about 16 years. Three of his " Letters" are extant in the 

 fcventh vol. of the Colleift. Concil. Moreri. 



GnEcoitv V. pope, whofe original name was Bruno, was 

 a German by birth, and a relation of the emperor OtI'.o. 

 He was chofen bifhop of Rome when he was but twenty- 

 four year* of age ; at his ordination he afliimed the 

 name of Gregory, and in a very fliort time after he folemnly 

 crowned Otho emperor, who had before been onlv ft vied 

 king. He held a council in the firil year of his pontilica'e, 

 at which the emperor was prefcnt, and, it has been faid, the 

 German electoral college was inllituted, but it is more pro- 

 bable, from the evidence of hiftory, that tlie origin of this 

 college is to be referred to a later date. Upon the breaking 

 up of the council, he returned to Germany, having firft 

 made the Romans fwear allegiance to him, and obedience to 

 the pope, but fcarcely iiad the Germans repailcd the Alps, 

 when Crefcentius, a man of confiderable wealth and power, 

 perfuaded tiiem to revolt, renounce their allegiance to the 

 emperor, and choofe himfelf for their head. Thefe events 

 obliged Gregory to fly from Rome, on which occalion Cref- 

 centius declared the fee vacant, and caufed a perfon named 

 Philagathus to be raifed to it, vvh<* took the name i>f 

 .Tohii X\ II. Gregory excommunicated t!ic ufurper, and 

 alio his patron, a lenience which was confirmed by all the 

 bifliops of Italy, France, and Germany. Soon after thin 

 Otho, urged by the intreaties of Gregory, returned to 

 Italy, with a large army, and advanced witli tl;c pope to- 

 wards Rome. At their api>roach, the anti-pope John 

 took to flight, but, falling into t!ie hands of fome of the 

 pope's friends, was deprived of his hglit, and othenrife- 

 cruelly mutilated. Crefcentius was alfo taken, and, with 

 his accomplices, ignomiiiioudy executed. Gregorj- was now 

 reflored to his fee, and one of his firll atts was to convene 

 a council to meet at Rome, in wliich the marriage of Robert, 

 king of France, with Bertha, widow of Odo, count of 

 Champagne, was declared incelluous and null. He died in 

 the beginning of 999, having left behind liim many honour- 

 able teilimonies of the vigilance and fidelity which he had 

 exhibited in his office. His reign was very (hort ; there 

 are four of his " Letters" extant, in the 9th vol. of the 

 Collcc. Concil. A fifth, conc-erning the privileges of the 

 abbots of Monf. Major, may be found in the 4th vol. of 

 " Baluze's Mifcellanea." Moreri. 



GiiKGOiiY VI. pope, whofe original name was John 

 Gratian, was delcended from one of the moil opulent fami- 

 lies of Rome, and elected pope in 1044, as iuccell'or to 

 Benedict. Upon his acceiTion, there were no fewer tha.T 

 tiiree perfons w ho «-cre pretenders to the honour of being 

 fucceilbrs of St. Peter. In tin's Ibate, Hcnrv III. king ot 

 Germany, refolved to go to Italy liimfelf, and to inquire on 

 the fput into the conducit of the popes, and the Hate of the 

 church. He afTembh'd a cuuiicil at Sutri, in IC4'), and fent 

 an invitation to Gregory to prciide at this council ; witU 

 which he readily complied, flattering himfelf that the king 

 would acknowledge him for lawful pope. But \Vhen lie 

 made his appe;iraiice there, a charge was preferred againlh 

 liim of having purehafed the pontifical dignity with a lum 

 of money. He confeii'ed himielf guilty of the charge, and) 

 quitting his chair, divelled liimfelf of his pontifical orna- 

 ments before the council, and, bt^gging forgiveneis, renounced 

 all claim to the throne of St. Peter. After lliis abdication, 

 Henry carried liim pritoner into Germany, where he ended 

 his days. Daring the fliort time that he was at the head of 

 the church, he performed fome very beneficial acls. Finding 

 the lands and revenues of the fee greatly diniinifhed by ufurp- 

 ations, the roads infelled by robbers, ai;d other dilorders pre- 



5 D vailling 



