Pope Gregory XI

Gregory XI
Papacy beganDecember 30, 1370
Papacy endedMarch 27, 1378
PredecessorPope Urban V
SuccessorPope Urban VI
Personal details
Born
Pierre Roger de Beaufort

1331
Limousin, France
Died(1378-03-27)March 27, 1378
Rome
Other popes named Gregory

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]

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

Early life

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

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

Pope

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, 1371[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

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

References

  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

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 Archived 2011-10-30 at the Wayback Machine, Cardinal Roger de Beaufort
Preceded by
Urban V
Pope
1370–1378
Succeeded by
Urban VI