Pope Gregory XI

Head of the Catholic Church from 1370 to 1378

Pope Gregory XI (Latin: Gregorius Undecimus; 1331 –27 March 1378), born Pierre Roger de Beaufort, was a French cleric of the Roman Catholic Church and the 202nd Pope from 1370 until his death.[1]

Gregory XI
Papacy beganDecember 30, 1370
Papacy endedMarch 27, 1378
PredecessorPope Urban V
SuccessorPope Urban VI
Personal details
Birth namePierre Roger de Beaufort
Born1331
Limousin, France
Died(1378-03-27)March 27, 1378
Rome
Other popes named Gregory

He was the seventh and last of the popes who lived in Avignon in France.

Early life change

Pierre Roger de Beaufort was born in 1331 in Limousin in France.[2] The Rosier or Roger family were important in Limousin in central France.[3]

Beaufort was a nephew of Pope Clement VI.[4]

Cardinal change

Clement VI raised Beaufort to the rank of cardinal in 1348.[4]

Pope change

Cardinal Beaufort was elected pope in 1370; and he chose to be called Gergory XI. He was ordained as a priest on January 4, 1371; and was crowned pope on the following day, January 5, 13271[4]

In 1377, Gregory XI was persuaded by Catherine of Siena to return to Rome.[5] He reestablished the papacy in Italy.[4]

Gregory is also remembered as the Pope who condemned John Wycliffe.[5]

Western Schism change

When Gregory died on March 27, 1378, the cardinals in Rome elected an Italian-born pope named Urban VI as his successor.[4]

In Avignon, the cardinals elected a French-born pope who they named Clement VII.[4]

The Western Schism begins with the dispute between the supporters of the Italian-born pope and the French-born pope.[4]

Popes of the Western Schism
Antipope John XXIIIAntipope John XXIIIAntipope Alexander VPope Gregory XIIPope Innocent VIIPope Innocent VIIPope Boniface IXPope Urban VIAvignon Pope Benedict XIIIAvignon Pope Clement VIIPope Martin VPope Gregory XI

Related pages change

References change

 
The Coat of Arms of Gregory XI
  1. "List of Popes," Catholic Encyclopedia (2009); retrieved 2011-11-29.
  2. Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. (1838). "Gregory XI," Penny cyclopaedia, Vol. 11, p. 446.
  3. Arms of the Roger de Beaufort Archived 2017-03-27 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2011-12-1.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 "Pope Gregory XI", Catholic Encyclopedia; retrieved 2013-3-21.
  5. 5.0 5.1 "Gregory XI (1329-1378)," Who's Who in Christianity; retrieved 2012-7-18.

Other websites change

  Media related to Gregorius XI at Wikimedia Commons

  •   "Pope Gregory XI" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913.
  • "Gregory XI", Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911
  • Catholic Hierarchy, Pope Gregory XI
  • Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, Cardinal Roger de Beaufort


Preceded by
Urban V
Pope
1370–1378
Succeeded by
Urban VI