Antipope Gregory VIII
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Gregory (VIII)
(antipope 8 Mar. 1118 — Apr. 1121: d. c. 1140)
Born in southern France or perhaps Burgundy of modest parentage, a Cluniac at Limoges, Maurice Bourdin or Burdinus (possibly a nickname meaning 'small ass') was taken to Spain and educated there by Archbishop Bernard of Toledo, became archdeacon of Toledo, and by 1099 was promoted bishop of Coimbra. When his metropolitan Gerald of Braga visited Rome in summer 1103, he placed Maurice in charge of the see. Between autumn 1104 and spring 1108 he was on pilgrimage in the Holy Land, and in Jan. 1109 himself became archbishop of Braga, receiving the pallium in Rome from Paschal II. He was soon at loggerheads with Bernard of Toledo over the boundaries of their dioceses, but in Nov. 1114, after he had gone to Rome in person, Paschal settled the dispute decisively in his favour. After enjoying his triumph briefly at Braga, he was again at the papal court in autumn 1116, this time to protest against decisions favouring Santiago de Compostela to the detriment of Braga. Paschal, impressed perhaps by his eloquence and diplomatic skill, now dispatched him to Lombardy on a peace mission to Emperor Henry V (1106 — 25), who wanted a definitive clarification of his relation to the holy see. At this point Maurice defected to the emperor, and was in his entourage when he entered Rome in early 1117 (Paschal had moved to south Italy). At the Easter mass (25 Mar.), at which monarchs customarily donned crowns, it was Maurice who crowned Henry, notwithstanding the anathemas placed on him by several prelates. Paschal at once deposed and excommunicated him at a synod at Benevento, and instructed the Spanish authorities to elect a new archbishop of Braga.
When Gelasius II succeeded Paschal II (24 Jan. 1118), Henry at once came to Rome and requested the new pope, who had retreated to Gaeta (his home town), to return so that the long-standing dispute between church and empire over the control of church appointments could be amicably settled. When Gelasius refused, the exasperated emperor, advised by his jurists (notably Irnerius of Bologna: d. c. 1130), had Maurice proclaimed pope on. 8 Mar. 1118. Taking the style Gregory VIII, he made peace between church and empire the theme of his early sermons, and when Henry returned to Germany in the summer remained in Rome, master of St. Peter's, Castel Sant' Angelo, and the parts of the city dominated by the towers of the Frangipani family. But Gelasius, who had excommunicated him with his master on 8 Apr., had also denounced him in letters sent throughout Europe, effectively destroying any hopes he might have had of being recognized. Henry, too, had no further use for him; on Gelasius' death (29 Jan. 1119) he soon made rapprochement with Callistus II his objective. In 1119 Gregory withdrew to the stronghold of Sutri, but in Apr. 1121 Callistus besieged the town and the citizens surrendered him. To ruin his credibility once for all the pope made him traverse Rome in mock triumph, mounted backwards on a camel and exposed to the jeers and peltings of the populace. He was then gaoled for the rest of his life—first in Rome, then at Passerone, then at La Cava near Salerno, then at Rocca lemolo near Monte Cassino, and in 1125 Castel Fumone near Alatri and Frosinone. In Aug. 1137 he was still alive, back at La Cava.
Previous (chronologically): Gelasius II, Silvester IV, Albert ( Adalbert )
Next (chronologically): Callistus II, Honorius II, Celestine (II)
Born in southern France or perhaps Burgundy of modest parentage, a Cluniac at Limoges, Maurice Bourdin or Burdinus (possibly a nickname meaning 'small ass') was taken to Spain and educated there by Archbishop Bernard of Toledo, became archdeacon of Toledo, and by 1099 was promoted bishop of Coimbra. When his metropolitan Gerald of Braga visited Rome in summer 1103, he placed Maurice in charge of the see. Between autumn 1104 and spring 1108 he was on pilgrimage in the Holy Land, and in Jan. 1109 himself became archbishop of Braga, receiving the pallium in Rome from Paschal II. He was soon at loggerheads with Bernard of Toledo over the boundaries of their dioceses, but in Nov. 1114, after he had gone to Rome in person, Paschal settled the dispute decisively in his favour. After enjoying his triumph briefly at Braga, he was again at the papal court in autumn 1116, this time to protest against decisions favouring Santiago de Compostela to the detriment of Braga. Paschal, impressed perhaps by his eloquence and diplomatic skill, now dispatched him to Lombardy on a peace mission to Emperor Henry V (1106 — 25), who wanted a definitive clarification of his relation to the holy see. At this point Maurice defected to the emperor, and was in his entourage when he entered Rome in early 1117 (Paschal had moved to south Italy). At the Easter mass (25 Mar.), at which monarchs customarily donned crowns, it was Maurice who crowned Henry, notwithstanding the anathemas placed on him by several prelates. Paschal at once deposed and excommunicated him at a synod at Benevento, and instructed the Spanish authorities to elect a new archbishop of Braga.
When Gelasius II succeeded Paschal II (24 Jan. 1118), Henry at once came to Rome and requested the new pope, who had retreated to Gaeta (his home town), to return so that the long-standing dispute between church and empire over the control of church appointments could be amicably settled. When Gelasius refused, the exasperated emperor, advised by his jurists (notably Irnerius of Bologna: d. c. 1130), had Maurice proclaimed pope on. 8 Mar. 1118. Taking the style Gregory VIII, he made peace between church and empire the theme of his early sermons, and when Henry returned to Germany in the summer remained in Rome, master of St. Peter's, Castel Sant' Angelo, and the parts of the city dominated by the towers of the Frangipani family. But Gelasius, who had excommunicated him with his master on 8 Apr., had also denounced him in letters sent throughout Europe, effectively destroying any hopes he might have had of being recognized. Henry, too, had no further use for him; on Gelasius' death (29 Jan. 1119) he soon made rapprochement with Callistus II his objective. In 1119 Gregory withdrew to the stronghold of Sutri, but in Apr. 1121 Callistus besieged the town and the citizens surrendered him. To ruin his credibility once for all the pope made him traverse Rome in mock triumph, mounted backwards on a camel and exposed to the jeers and peltings of the populace. He was then gaoled for the rest of his life—first in Rome, then at Passerone, then at La Cava near Salerno, then at Rocca lemolo near Monte Cassino, and in 1125 Castel Fumone near Alatri and Frosinone. In Aug. 1137 he was still alive, back at La Cava.
Previous (chronologically): Gelasius II, Silvester IV, Albert ( Adalbert )
Next (chronologically): Callistus II, Honorius II, Celestine (II)
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Antipope Gregory VIII
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Antipope Gregory VIII
Gregory VIII (died 1137), born Mauritius Burdinus (Maurice Bourdin), was antipope from 10 March 1118 until 22 April 1121.
He was born in the Limousin, part of Aquitaine, Occitania, France. He was educated at Cluny, at Limoges, and in Castile, where he was a deacon at Toledo. In 1098/1099 his Cluniac connections recommended him as Bishop of Coimbra. After a four year pilgrimage to the Holy Land, he was made Archbishop of Braga in 1111. There he was one of the principal agents of the Burgundian Henry, Count of Portugal, in his reorganization of the Portuguese church.
Portugal was then a fief of León, and the ambitious Count Henry pursued a vigorous program of ecclesiastical and political autonomy. By 1114, Mauritius had become embroiled in a dispute with the Spanish primate and papal legate in Castile, Bernard of Toledo, to the extent that he was called to Rome and suspended by Pope Paschal II (1099–1118). Nevertheless, he found favor at the papal court, and in 1116, when Emperor Henry V (1105–25) invaded Italy during the ongoing confrontations over the Emperor's rights of investiture of clerics, Paschal II sent Mauritius on an embassy to him, while the Pope and the Curia fled south to Benevento. Mauritius defected to the Emperor's side. Henry V went to Rome, and on Easter Sunday, March 23, 1117, was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Mauritius. Paschal II deposed and excommunicated Henry V and removed Mauritius from office.
When Paschal II died on 24 January 1118, he was succeeded by Pope Gelasius II (1118–19). Henry V went to Rome but Gelasius II escaped to Gaeta and refused to meet the Emperor to discuss German affairs. Partly in reprisal the imperial party among the cardinals then annulled Gelasius II's election, and on March 1, 1118 Mauritius was proclaimed Pope, taking the name Gregory VIII. Gelasius II, at Capua, proceeded to excommunicate both Gregory VIII and Henry V on April 7, 1118.
After Gelasius II's death, when Calixtus II had been elected Pope in 1119, Henry V was induced to change papal allegiance, in the Concordat of Worms of 1122. Calixtus II entered Rome, and Gregory VIII left, going to Sutri, where he was in April 1121, when papal troops of Calixtus II closed up the city for eight days until its citizens surrendered antipope Gregory VIII. He was taken to Rome and imprisoned in the Septizonium. After having been moved in confinement from monastery to monastery, he finally died at La Cava, Salerno, some time after August 1137.
Cardinals
No information has been found about the cardinals created by Gregory VIII,[1] but it is known that in March 1118 three cardinals created by Antipope Clement III (1080/84-1100) joined his obedience and formed his own Sacred College[2]:
- Romanus — cardinal-priest of S. Marco and provost of the titular church of S. Marcello
- Cinthius — cardinal-priest of S. Crisogono
- Teuzo — cardinal-priest, former legate of Clement III in Hungary
References
- ^ S. Miranda, consistories of the pontificate of antipope Gregory VIII (1118–21)
- ^ H.W.Klewitz, Reformpapsttum und Kardinalkolleg, Darmstadt 1957, p. 70
External links
- Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church: Election of March 8, 1118
- The Catholic Encyclopedia
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