GREGORY. 



prctcclion of duke Robert at Salerno. In that place he 

 died in 1085, having held the fee of Rome little more than 

 12 years, and leaving Europe involved in complicated cala- 

 mities to which his ambition gave rife. "He was," as 

 Mofheim has well del'crihed him, "a man of uncommon 

 genius, whofe ambition, in forming the moil arduous pro- 

 jects, was equalled by his dexterity in bringing them into 

 execution ; fugacious, crafty, and intrepid, notiiing could 

 efcape iiis penetration, defeat his ftratagems, or daunt his 

 courage ; haughty and arrogant beyond all raeafure, obftinale, 

 impetuous, and intratlable, he looked up to the fummit of 

 luiivcrfal empire with a willful eye, and labonred up the 

 ftcep afcent with uninterrupted ardour and invincible perfe- 

 verance, void of all principle, and deftitute of every pious 

 and virtuous feeling, l;e fuffered little reflraint in his auda- 

 cious purfuits from the didlates of religion, or the renion- 

 flranccsof confcidice." He was the firll pope who claimed 

 the power of depofing princes and abfolving fubjefts from 

 their oaths of allegiance. He alfo laid claim to moll of the 

 kingdoms and ftates of Europe, and by the boldncfs of his 

 pretenfions, and his menaces of exercifing the ecclefiaftical 

 authority, terrified many of their fovereigns and rulers into 

 acknowledgments of their being feudatories and vaffals ot the 

 apoftolic fee. Three hundred and fifty-nine letters of this 

 pope have reached our time, which are divided into nine 

 books, and are inferted in the loth volume of the Colleft. 

 Concil. He is generally fuppofed to have been the author 

 of " A Commentary upon the feven penitential Pfalms," 

 which fome writers have improperly afcribed to Gregory I. : 

 and of a " Commentary upon the Gofpel of St. Matthew," 

 wliich is faid to be preierved in MS. in the library at Lam- 

 beth. Bower. Morcri. Moflieim. 



Gregory VIII. pope, originally known by the name of 

 Albert de Mora, was a native of Bencvcnto, and created 

 cardinal by pope Adrian IV. in tlie year 1135- He was 

 employed in vei'y important miflions, I'lz. as legate to Spain, 

 and in the yeir 1172 into Normandy, where he abfolvtd 

 Henry II. king of England, from the cenfures which he 

 had incurred by being fuppofed in fome degree acceffary to 

 the death of Thomas a Becket, but not before that monarch 

 had fubmitted to a difgraceful penajice. Upon the death of 

 Urban III. in the year 11 87, cardinal Albert was unani- 

 moully chofen his fucccfTor, when he took the name of Gre- 

 gory Vlll. A fiiort time before his cleftion, intelligence 

 had arrived at Rome of the advantages gained by Saladin 

 over the Chriftians in the Eafl, and his capture of the city 

 of Jerufalem. Gregory, as.foon as he was coufccrated, 

 wrote a letter addrefled to the Chriftians in the Weft, ex- 

 horting theni to contribute all in their power to the relief of 

 their diilreffed brethren, and for the recovery of the holy 

 city. He enjinned a five years' fall, to appeafe the anger of 

 heaven, by abllaining from meat on Wednefdays and Sa- 

 turdays as well as Fridays throughout the year. The labours 

 of this pontiff were of very fliort duration. He died within 

 two months of his elevation. He has been applauded for 

 his learning, eloquence, humane difpolition, and exemplary 

 manners. Tliere are three of his letters extant in the tenth 

 vol. of the Colleft. Concil. Moreri. Bower. 



GnEGOUY IX, pope, whofe former name was Ugolin, 

 was created cardinal billiop of O Ilia, by pope Innocent III., 

 and was afterwards employed on different legations to Ger- 

 many and elfewhere, chiefly to preach up tlie ueceffity of 

 engaging in the crufades. He was elefted pope upon the 

 death of Honorius III. in the year 1227, when he took the 

 name of Gregory IX. Immediately after his confecration 

 he commanded the weftern bifliops to exert their authority, 

 and oblige fuch pcrfons as had taken the crofs, to fel out 



without delay for the Ilcdy Land. He wrote alfo to the 



emperor Frederic II. cxiiorting him to fulfil the folemn pro- 

 mifes wliich he l>ad made to embark a fufficient army for the 

 relief of the Chriftians in the Eaft, adding the fevertft 

 menaces if he lliould decline the undertaking, declaring 

 that he would exert tlie power wliich heaven had put 

 into his hands, and proceed againfl him as guilty of a breach 

 of his vows. Frederic was obedient to the order, but 

 having embarked with a large army, he returned in lliree 

 days, alleging that the ill ftate of his health re idered him inca- 

 pable of fo great an exertion. His excufes were not deemed 

 valid, tlie pope would hear of no apt logies, and paffed oa 

 him fentence of eKcomniunication, till at length the empc. 

 ror embarked for Pale ft ine, but not having fued for abfolu- 

 tion before his departure, he was Itill the object of Gre- 

 gory's rclentment, who took every method to render his expe- 

 dition fruitlefs, and to excite civil wars in his Italian domi- 

 nions. Even after the emperor had, by treaty, f< cured 

 poflTeflion of the city and kingdom of Jerufalem, and was 

 preparirg for his coronation lla-re, by the patriarch he found 

 that the iTclatc liad been terrified by the papal cmifTarics 

 from taknig a part in'the ceremony, and had alfo laid the city, 

 and the church of the fepulchre, under an interdift, that no 

 divine fervice might be performed in them during Frederic's 

 flay. The German bifhops, hkewife, who attended the em- 

 peror, partook fo much of the patriarch's alarms, that they 

 refufed to perform any religious funftion, or even to be 

 prefent at the coronation ; fo that Frederic was under the 

 necelTity of taking the crown from the altar, and placing it 

 upon his head with his own hands. On the emperor's return 

 in 1229, Gregory excommunicated him again; and new 

 caufes of complaint were continually occumng between Fre- 

 deric and the pope, the former being defirous of a£ling 

 for himfelf, and the latter being fu'Iy bent upon reducing 

 him to the moft abjeft flavery. In the year 1 24 1, Grigorv 

 called a general council to m.eet at Rome, and had fcnt legates 

 with letters to all the Chriftian princes, entreating them to 

 oblige the prelates in their refpeClive kingdoms to repair to it. 

 At firll Frederic confented to thy holding of the council, and 

 promifed not to moleJl the biftiops who liiould attend it. But 

 afterwards, finding that the pope was refolutely bent on 

 hi.s ruin, and that he intended to make ufe of the propofeJ 

 council for this purpofe, and even to arm the whole Ciniftian 

 world againll him, he revoked his promifes, and publillied a 

 manitello, which was fent through the whole of Europe, decla- 

 ratory of his determined oppofition to the pope's projeS. 

 Neverthelefs, great numbers of the bifhops did affemble at 

 Genoa, in their road to Rome, who, with two caidinals 

 and all their treafure, fell into the emperor's hands, and the 

 holy men were fent prifoners to Naples. This difappoint- 

 ment, together with the approacli of tlie emperor, and hii 

 vitlorious army, gave fuch a fliock to the pope, that he 

 was feized with an illnefs which put an end to his life in a 

 few days. He had been at the head of the church nearly 

 fifteen years, which were diftinguiflitd by the calan^ities in 

 which If.dy was involved, chiefly owing to his imn..)deiratc 

 ambition, injuflice, arrogance, and obftinacy. Many of 

 his letters are to found in the eleventh vol. of the Colkct. 

 Concil : there are alfo extant fome fr.igmciits of his " De- 

 cretal Letters.'' Moreri. Bower. 



Grkgoky X. pope, whole original name was Theobald, 

 was firft a canon in the church of Lvons ; then archdeacon 

 of Leige, and, taking the crofs, he accompanied Edv. arJ 

 prince of Wales in his expedition into Syria. After the 

 death of Clement IV. in 127S, the Roman fee was ^acan■ 

 for nearly three years, owing to the intrigues of th? cardi- 

 nals, aflembled at Viterbo, who all afpircd to the dignity 

 5 D J toemlcKrs, 



