Editing Pope Gregory XI

{{Short description|Head of the Catholic Church from 1370 to 1378}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
|type=Pope
|honorific-prefix= [[List of popes|Pope]]
|name=Gregory XI
|image=Duke of Anjou leading Pope Gregory XI to the palace at Avignon, while cardinals follow (cropped).png
|caption=Gregory XI entering the [[Palace of the Popes, Avignon]]
|birth_name=Pierre Roger de Beaufort
|title = [[Bishop of Rome]]
|church = [[Catholic Church]]
|term_start=30 December 1370
|term_end=27 March 1378
|predecessor=[[Urban V]]
|successor=[[Urban VI]]
| ordination = 2 January 1371
| ordinated_by =
| consecration =3 January 1371
| consecrated_by = [[Guy of Boulogne]]
| cardinal =29 May 1348
| created_cardinal_by = [[Clement VI]]
|birth_date=c. 1329
|birth_place= [[Saint-Julien-Maumont|Maumont]], [[Limousin (province)|Limousin]], [[France in the Middle Ages|Kingdom of France]]
|death_date=27 March 1378 (aged 48–49)
|death_place=[[Rome]], [[Papal States]]
|coat_of_arms=C o a Gregorio XI.svg
|other=Gregory}}
{{Infobox popestyles
|image            = File: C o a Gregorio XI.svg
|dipstyle         = [[His Holiness]]
|offstyle         = Your Holiness
|relstyle         = Holy Father
|deathstyle       = None
}}

'''Pope Gregory XI''' ({{langx|la|Gregorius XI}}; born '''Pierre Roger de Beaufort'''; c. 1329 – 27 March 1378) was head of the [[Catholic Church]] from 30 December 1370 to his death, in March 1378. He was the seventh and last [[Avignon Papacy|Avignon pope]]<ref>{{Cite book |first=Richard P. |last=McBrien |title=Lives of the Popes |publisher=HarperCollins |date=2000 |page=245}}</ref> and the most recent [[French pope]]. In 1377, Gregory XI returned the [[Papal household|papal court]] to Rome, ending nearly 70 years of papal residency in [[Avignon]], in modern-day [[France]]. His death was swiftly followed by the [[Western Schism]] involving two Avignon-based [[antipope]]s.

==Early life==
Pierre Roger de Beaufort was born at [[Saint-Julien-Maumont|Maumont]], France, around 1330. His uncle, Pierre Cardinal Roger, [[Archbishop]] of [[Rouen]], was elected pope in 1342 and took the name [[Clement VI]]. Clement VI bestowed a number of [[benefices]] upon his nephew and in 1348, created the eighteen-year-old a cardinal deacon. The young cardinal attended the [[University of Perugia]], where he became a skilled canonist and theologian.<ref name="Ott 1909">{{CE1913 |inline=1 |last= Ott |first=Michael |wstitle=Pope Gregory XI|volume=6}}</ref>

==Conclave 1370==
{{Main|1370 papal conclave}}
[[File:07 Grégoire XI (couronné par Guy de Boulogne).jpg|thumb|upright|left|Coronation of Gregory XI]]
After the death of [[Pope Urban V]] (December 1370), eighteen cardinals assembled at Avignon entered the conclave on 29 December. Cardinal Roger was unanimously elected on 30 December.<ref>[[Guillaume Mollat|G. Mollat]] The Popes at Avignon 1305–1378, London 1963, p. 59</ref> Though initially opposing his own election, Roger eventually accepted and took the name of Gregory XI. On 4 January 1371 he was ordained to the priesthood by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, [[Guy de Boulogne]], and on 5 January was consecrated Bishop of Rome and crowned by the new protodeacon Rinaldo Orsini in the cathedral [[Notre Dame des Doms]] in Avignon.<ref>S. Miranda [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios1348.htm#Roger Cardinal Pierre Roger de Beaufort (Pope Gregory XI)]</ref>

==Papacy==
Immediately on his accession he attempted to reconcile the Kings of France and England, but failed. Gregory confirmed a [[Treaty of Villeneuve|treaty between Sicily and Naples]] at [[Villeneuve-lès-Avignon]] on 20 August 1372, which brought about a permanent settlement between the rival kingdoms, which were both papal fiefs.<ref>Hayez, Michel (2002). "Gregorio XI, papa". ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani''. Vol. 59. Rome: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana.</ref> 

Gregory also tried to undertake a crusade due to pleas from [[Catherine of Siena]] in 1376<ref name=":12">Villegas, D., 2021. Catherine of Siena's spirituality of political engagement. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 77(2).</ref> by continuing Pope Urban V's call for Christians to stop fighting other Christians, which Urban called for in November 1366.<ref>Clarke, Peter D. "BETWEEN AVIGNON AND ROME: MINOR PENITENTIARIES AT THE PAPAL CURIA IN THE THIRTEENTH AND FOURTEENTH CENTURIES", Rivista Di Storia Della Chiesa in Italia, vol. 63, no. 2, 2009, pp. 455–510</ref> Efforts were also made to reform corrupt practices in the various monastic orders, such as collecting fees from persons visiting holy sites and the exhibiting of faux relics of saints.<ref name=":12"/>

Like the preceding popes of Avignon, Gregory XI made the mistake of appointing Frenchmen, who did not understand the Italians and whom the Italians hated, as legates and governors of the ecclesiastical provinces in Italy. Italian city states opposed the move of the papacy back to Rome and specifically Florence opposed to the move due to Gregory wanting to expand the Papal states upon the papal return to Rome.<ref name=":2">Peterson, David S. 2002. "The War of the Eight Saints in Florentine Memory and Oblivion." In Society and Individual in Renaissance Florence, Ed. William J. Connell.</ref> Before moving to Rome, however, he had to give his entire attention to the turbulent affairs of Italy. Duke [[Bernabo Visconti]] of Milan, had, in 1371, made himself master of Reggio and other places that were feudatory to the Holy See. Gregory XI excommunicated him and later declared war on him in 1372 against a Florentine led coalition of Italian city states, which later became known as the [[War of the Eight Saints]] (1375–1378). After war broke out, Gregory excommunicated the city and placed the city under interdict on 31 March 1376{{Sfn|Williman|Corsano|2002|pp=427–481}} in an attempt to quell the rebellion. Catherine of Siena tried to convince Gregory to stop the war on behalf of the Florentine state.<ref name="Ott 1909"/> This proved to be futile as the war did not end until after Gregory's death. The war ended with a peace treaty concluded at [[Tivoli, Lazio|Tivoli]] in July 1378, negotiated with [[Pope Urban VI]] following the death of Gregory XI.<ref name=":2" />

== Return to Rome ==
[[File:Bolognino Gregorio XI.jpg|thumb|right|A ''[[bolognino]]'' of Gregory XI]]The return to Rome from Avignon had been an issue since [[Pope Clement V]] moved the papacy to Avignon in 1309.{{Sfn|Rollo-Koster|2015}} From Popes Clement V to Urban V, the popes of the Avignon Papacy had their reasons to stay in France and not return to Rome. After 68 years of papal rule from France, Gregory XI moved the papacy back to its former seat of power of Rome in 1377.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.historyhit.com/the-popes-of-the-avignon-papacy-in-order/ | title=The Popes of the Avignon Papacy in Order }}</ref>

Gregory was constantly receiving pleas from [[Catherine of Siena]] through letters. In total, she wrote 14 letters between 1375 and 1378 until Gregory died. These letters dealt with different matters such as peace, church reform, and moving the papacy back to Rome. Catherine persuaded him by saying that it was easier to achieve Gregory's goal of peace among the city states in Italy by expanding the influence of the Papal states if the papacy were back in Rome.<ref name=":12"/>

The return of the [[Roman Curia|Curia]] to Rome began on 13 September 1376. Despite the protests of the French king and the majority of the cardinals, Gregory left Avignon on that day and made his way to [[Marseille]], where he boarded a ship on 2 October. Arriving at [[Corneto]] on 6 December, he decided to remain there until arrangements were made in Rome concerning its future government. On 13 January 1377, he left Corneto, landed at [[Ostia (Rome)|Ostia]] the next day, and from there sailed up the Tiber to the [[Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls|monastery of San Paolo]]. On 17 January he left the monastery to make a solemn entrance into Rome that same day.{{Sfn|Rollo-Koster|2008|p=182}}<ref>Francis Thomas Luongo, ''The Saintly Politics of Catherine of Siena'', xii.</ref><ref>Harvey, Margaret ''The English in Rome, 1362–1420: Portrait of an Expatriate Community'', (Cambridge University Press, 2004), 3.</ref>

==Death==
Gregory XI did not survive much longer after his move to Rome. He died on 27 March 1378 aged 48–49.<ref>Richardson, C., 2009. Reclaiming Rome: Cardinals in the Fifteenth Century. Leiden: Brill.</ref> Pope Urban VI, an Italian, was elected to the papacy after his death. However, his decision to move the papacy back to Rome led to the [[Western Schism]] and the rise of the Antipopes. Most of Europe supported [[Antipope Clement VII|Clement VII]] (now considered an antipope) as the true pope.<ref>Walsh, M., 2011. The Cardinals: Thirteen Centuries of the Men Behind the Papal Throne. Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans Pub.</ref>

Subsequently, the [[Western Schism]] created by the selection of rival popes forced Europe into a dilemma of papal allegiance. This schism was not resolved fully until the [[Council of Constance]] (1414–1418).<ref>{{cite book
 | last1 = Welsh | first1 = Frank| title = [[The Battle for Christendom The Council of Constance, the East-West Conflict, and the Dawn of Modern Europe]] | location = New York | publisher = [[The Overlook Press]] | pages = 117–153 | date = 2008 | isbn = 978-1-59020-123-7 }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Cardinals created by Gregory XI]]
* [[List of popes]]
*[[Vicedomino de Vicedominis]], in legend elected Pope as Gregory XI
{{Portal bar|Biography|Christianity|History}}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*Hanawalt, G.Barbara. ''The Middle Ages: An Illustrated History'', 1998, Oxford Univ. Press, p.&nbsp;143
*Cairns, E.Earl. ''Christianity Throughout the Centuries: A History of the Christian Church'', 1996, Zondervan, pp.&nbsp;241 & 248–250.
*Ocker, Christopher, '' Johannes Klenkok: a friar's life, c. 1310–1374 '', American Philosophical Society, 1993, {{ISBN|0-87169-835-8}}
*Clarke, Peter D. "Between Avignon and Rome: Minot Penitentiaries at the Papal Curia in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries." ''Rivista Di Storia Della Chiesa in Italia'', vol. 63, no. 2, 2009, pp.&nbsp;455–510
*De Angelis, Laura, and Vicki Whittaker. "Florence's Ruling Class at the Turn of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries." ''Revue Française de Science Politique'' (English Edition), vol. 64, no. 6, 2014, pp.&nbsp;65–79
*Harvey, Margaret ''The English in Rome, 1362–1420: Portrait of an Expatriate Community'', (Cambridge University Press, 2004), 3.
*Peterson, David S. 2002. "The War of the Eight Saints in Florentine Memory and Oblivion." In ''Society and Individual in Renaissance Florence'', Ed. William J. Connell.
*Richardson, C., 2009. ''Reclaiming Rome: Cardinals in the Fifteenth Century''. Leiden: Brill.
* {{Cite book |last=Rollo-Koster |first=Joëlle |date=2008 |title= Raiding Saint Peter: Empty Sees, Violence, and the Initiation of the Great Western Schism (1378) |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-9-0474-3311-8 |ol=29585957M |page=182 |author-link=Joëlle Rollo-Koster}}
* {{Cite book |last=Rollo-Koster |first=Joëlle |date=2015 |title=Avignon and Its Papacy, 1309–1417: Popes, Institutions, and Society |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4422-1532-0 |ol=30394591M |author-link=Joëlle Rollo-Koster}}
*Villegas, D., 2021. "Catherine of Siena's spirituality of political engagement". HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 77(2).
*Walsh, M., 2011. ''The Cardinals: Thirteen Centuries of the Men Behind the Papal Throne''. Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans Pub.
* {{Cite book |last1=Williman |first1=Daniel |first2=Karen |last2=Corsano |title=The Interdict of Florence (31 March 1376): New Documents |series=Rivista Di Storia Della Chiesa in Italia |volume=56 |issue=2 |date=2002}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book|last=Ameilh (Aemilii)|first=Pierre (Petrus)|title=Le voyage de Grégoire XI ramenant la Papauté d'Avignon à Rome, 1376–1377 suivi du texte latin et de la traduction franç. de l'Itinerarium Gragerii XI de Pierre Ameilh. &#91;Petrus Amelii&#93;|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P6YjMQAACAAJ|date=1952|publisher=Coppini|location=Florence|language=fr}}
* {{cite book|last=Gherardi|first=Alessandro|title=La guerra dei Fiorentini con Papa Gregorio XI detta la guerra degli otto santi memoria compilata sui documenti dell' archivio fiorentino|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xRE5AAAAcAAJ&pg=PA1|year=1868|publisher=Tipi di Cellini|location=Firenze|language=it}}
* {{cite book|last=Jugie|first=Pierre|title=La formation intellectuelle du cardinal Pierre Roger de Beaufort, le pape Grégoire XI: nouveau point sur la question|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wBY8XwAACAAJ|year=2008|publisher=Sismel|location=Florence|language=fr}}
* {{cite book|last=Mirot|first=Léon|title=La politique pontificale et le retour du Saint-Siège à Rome en 1376|url=https://archive.org/details/lapolitiquepont00mirogoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/lapolitiquepont00mirogoog/page/n217 198]|year=1899|publisher=É. Bouillon|location=Paris|language=fr}}
*{{cite book|last=Thibault|first=Paul R. |title=Pope Gregory XI: the failure of tradition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qVUtAAAAMAAJ|year=1986|publisher=University Press of America|location=Lanham MD|isbn=978-0-8191-5463-7}}

==External links==
*{{commons and category-inline|Gregorius XI|Pope Gregory XI}}
*{{wikisource author-inline}}
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{{s-ttl|rows=2|title=[[Pope]]|years=1370–1378}}
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{{s-aft|after=[[Antipope Clement VII|Clement VII]]|as=Avignon claiment}}
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{{History of the Catholic Church}}
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