Pope Gregory XI
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- See also Vicedomino de Vicedominis, a pope-elect who took the name Gregory XI.
| Gregory XI | |
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| Papacy began | December 30, 1370 |
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| Papacy ended | March 27, 1378 |
| Predecessor | Urban V |
| Successor | Urban VI |
| Birth name | Pierre Roger de Beaufort |
| Born | ca. 1336 Rosiers-d'Égletons, Limousin, France |
| Died | March 28, 1378 Rome, Italy |
| Other popes named Gregory | |
| Papal styles of Pope Gregory XI |
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| Reference style | His Holiness |
| Spoken style | Your Holiness |
| Religious style | Holy Father |
| Posthumous style | None |
Pope Gregory XI (c. 1336 – March 27, 1378), born Pierre Roger de Beaufort, Pope from 1370 to 1378, born in Rosiers-d'Égletons, Limousin around 1336, succeeded Pope Urban V (1362–70) in 1370 as one of the Avignon Popes.
During his pontificate vigorous measures were taken against the heresies which had broken out in Germany, England, and other parts of Europe; a sincere effort was also made to bring about a reformation in the various monastic orders. The nineteen propositions of John Wycliffe (c. 1320–84) and the thirteen articles of the Sachsenspiegel were formally condemned by Pope Gregory XI in 1377.
His return to Rome is attributed in part to the stirring words of Catherine of Siena, January 27, 1377. This had been attempted by Gregory's predecessor, Urban V, without success. The project was delayed by a conflict between the pope and Florence, known as "the War of the Eight Saints" for the "Eight for War," the Florentine magistrates responsible for the conduct of the war. The pope put Florence under interdict for a time.
Gregory XI did not long survive this removal, dying on March 27, 1378. After his death the College of Cardinals was pressured by a Roman mob, which broke into the voting chamber, to vote an Italian Pope into the papacy. This Italian Pope was Urban VI. Soon after being elected, Urban gained the Cardinals' enmity. With the encouragement of the French king, the cardinals returned to Avignon and in 1378 elected a French pope, Clement VII.
Subsequently, the Western Schism created by the selection of a rival pope forced the people of Europe into a dilemma of papal allegiance. This schism was not fully resolved until the Council of Constance (1414-1418). The council boldly deposed the current popes and elected Martin V as their successor. The chaos of the Western Schism thus brought about reforming councils and gave them the power over who was elected, replacing (for a time) the College of Cardinals.
[edit] References
- From the 9th edition (1880) of an unnamed encyclopedia
- Hanawalt, G.Barbara. The Middle Ages:An Illustrated History, 1998, Oxford Univ. Press, p. 143
- Cairns, E.Earl. Christianity Throughout The Centuries: A History of the Christian Church, 1996, Zondervan, pp.241 & 248-250
| Popes of the Western Schism |
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| Preceded by Urban V |
Pope 1370–1378 |
Succeeded by Urban VI |
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