Pope Adrian IV (c. 1100 – 1159) was born Nicholas Breakspear at Breakspear Farm in the parish of Abbots Langley in Hertfordshire, England.
The son of a poor priest, Breakspear strived to be admitted to the local monastery but was apparently refused due to his lack of education.
Afterwards, Breakspear set off on a voyage to France, becoming a monk at the St Rufus monastery near Arles.
Breakspear rose to be prior and was then soon unanimously elected abbot, gaining a reputation as a formidably strict disciplinarian.
He was successively appointed cardinal bishop of Albano in December 1149, and papal legate to Scandinavia (1152–54), where he reorganized the church hierarchy.
Breakspear was unanimously elected pope on December 4, 1154 following the death of Anastasius IV. He took the name Adrian IV and was crowned the following day in the Vatican Basilica. He was the only Englishman ever to have occupied the papal chair.
Pope Adrian IV's reign was challenged by such serious difficulties that he wished aloud to his friend John of Salisbury that he had never left England. A dispute with Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor was happening when Adrian died. (The Emperor was about to be excommunicated).
Adrian's most controversial act was a bull that allowed Henry II of England to annex Ireland to his kingdom. He urged Henry to invade Ireland to bring its church under the Roman system and to conduct a general reform of governance and society throughout the island. That decision left an aftertaste of bitterness that lingers to this day, over 800 years later. The pope based his authority on the Donation of Constantine, which was later shown to be a forgery.
The son of a poor priest, Breakspear strived to be admitted to the local monastery but was apparently refused due to his lack of education.
Afterwards, Breakspear set off on a voyage to France, becoming a monk at the St Rufus monastery near Arles.
Breakspear rose to be prior and was then soon unanimously elected abbot, gaining a reputation as a formidably strict disciplinarian.
He was successively appointed cardinal bishop of Albano in December 1149, and papal legate to Scandinavia (1152–54), where he reorganized the church hierarchy.
Breakspear was unanimously elected pope on December 4, 1154 following the death of Anastasius IV. He took the name Adrian IV and was crowned the following day in the Vatican Basilica. He was the only Englishman ever to have occupied the papal chair.
Pope Adrian IV's reign was challenged by such serious difficulties that he wished aloud to his friend John of Salisbury that he had never left England. A dispute with Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor was happening when Adrian died. (The Emperor was about to be excommunicated).
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| Pope Adrian IV cameo. By PHGCOM - self-made, photographed at Notre-Dame de Paris, |
Adrian's most controversial act was a bull that allowed Henry II of England to annex Ireland to his kingdom. He urged Henry to invade Ireland to bring its church under the Roman system and to conduct a general reform of governance and society throughout the island. That decision left an aftertaste of bitterness that lingers to this day, over 800 years later. The pope based his authority on the Donation of Constantine, which was later shown to be a forgery.
Adrian IV passed away on September 1, 1159. He was rumored to have died choking on a fly in his wine, but the truth is he was probably suffering from quinsy - an abscess next to his tonsils.
The term Vicar of Christ began to be used to describe the pope during Adrian’s pontificate.
Source Christianity
The term Vicar of Christ began to be used to describe the pope during Adrian’s pontificate.
Source Christianity
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