Gregory di Roma

Born [date unknown] in Rome, Papal States

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Biography

Pope Gregory IV di Roma is Notable.

Gregory, a Roman, son of John was born in the 8th or 9th Century.^[1]

Platina^[1] states:

Gregory the Fourth, a Roman, son of John, and Cardinal of St Mark, entered upon the pontificate at the time when the Saracens possessed of Asia shut up the passage to the Holy Land from the Christians, and the Moors passing with their fleet into Sicily, wasted a great part of that island, having, ... made themselves masters of Palermo.

He was consecrated on the 29 March 828.^[2]

He died on 25 January 1844^[2][3] and was buried in St Peter's Basilica.^[3]

Flocknote Popes in a Year ^[4] tells us:

Born in Rome late in the 8th Century, Gregory was known for his penchant for learning and his rugged good looks (yes, seriously) prior to being pope. After priestly ordination, Gregory served as cardinal and pastor of the Basilica of St. Mark, which he adorned with mosaics still able to be seen today. His election happened similarly to Pope Valentine’s – with a unanimous election by Rome’s nobility (who by now pretty much controlled papal elections) and a lot of protest from Gregory himself as he prayed in the Basilica of Sts. Cosmas & Damian. Though he was elected in October of 827, he wasn’t able to begin leading the Church in earnest until Spring 828, once the emperor could assess the choice and give his approval.

During Gregory’s pontificate, St. Ansgar continued making great headway evangelizing Sweden and the surrounding area, which prompted Gregory to name him First Bishop of Hamburg, send him the pallium, and give him “full authority to preach the Gospel … before the body and confession of St. Peter” as the pope’s official representative in Northern Europe. Gregory IV died on January 25, 844 after nearly 16 years in office.

Gregory IV’s time in office was defined by his part in some not-so-brotherly love among the Carolingians, the heirs to the Frankish throne. Louis the Pious was Holy Roman Emperor at the time, but in 817 he had made an agreement which divided the empire three ways, one for each son from his first wife. Louis made the unfortunate decision to renege in 829 after being persuaded by his second wife to also assign a kingdom to his youngest son, Charles the Bald.

Dear ol' dad was first imprisoned by the older three, then released and restored to power when the trio warred amongst each other. Louis continued to favor Charles, at which point Lothair, the oldest son, persuaded Gregory IV to intervene and play peacekeeper. The pope ended up doing more harm than good since his choice to accompany Lothair’s army over the Alps was misconstrued as Gregory being on the eldest son’s side (which wasn’t the case). With mistrust on all sides, and despite Gregory’s best intentions and efforts, the empire basically crumbled as a result of this great quarrel. Bummer for the Franks and, as it turned out, for the rest of Europe for many years thereafter.

When Muslims captured Sicily in 831, it didn’t take rocket science to infer that Rome would soon be next. In response, Gregory IV built a fortress at Ostia, the mouth of the Tiber River, to hold off the Muslim army, should they try to attack the Eternal City. The fortress was named, creatively, “Gregoriopolis.”

Around the mid-830s, the Vikings began to move south and stick a thorn in the side of Europeans, France and England especially, as the Norse ruler Ragnar Lothbrok rose to power.

Research Notes

This profile is being updated by the Popes Project.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Platina, Bartolomeo (1479) The Lives of the Popes From the Time of Our Saviour Jesus Christ to the Accession of Gregory VII, I, London: Griffith Farran & Co., p214-218, retrieved 2021-04-09.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Vatican
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Wikipedia Pope Gregory IV
4. ↑ Flocknote Popes in a Year
   SOURCES (and further reading)
   John, E. (1964). The Popes: A concise biographical history. New York: Hawthorn Books.
   Pope Gregory IV - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06789b.htm
   Pope Gregory IV - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_IV
   830s - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/830s