Pope Gregory VII

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Gregory VII
Papacy beganApril 22, 1073
Papacy endedMay 25, 1085
PredecessorPope Alexander II
SuccessorPope Victor III
Personal details
Birth nameIldebrando di Soana
Born1020
Sovana, Italy
Died(1085-05-25)May 25, 1085
Salerno
Other popes named Gregory

Pope Gregory VII (Latin: Gregorius Septimus; 1020–May 25, 1085), born Hildebrand (Italian: Ildebrando di Soana), was an Italian priest of the Roman Catholic Church and the 158th Pope from April 22, 1073 until he died in 1085.[1]

Early life[change | change source]

Hildebrand was born in Sovana in Tuscany. As a youth, he became a Benedictine monk.[2]

In Rome, Hildebrand became the chaplain of Pope Gregory VI. When Gregory VI abdicated and went into in exile in Germany, Hildebrand went with him.[2]

Cardinal[change | change source]

Pope Leo IX raised Hildebrand to the rank of Cardinal in 1049.[2]

Pope[change | change source]

Cardinal Hildebrand was elected pope on April 22, 1073; and he chose to be called Gregory.[3]

Pope Gregory was involved in Italian and European political disputes.[2]

After his death[change | change source]

Pope Gregory died an exile in Salerno. His last words were: "I have loved justice and hated iniquity; therefore, I [now] die in exile." ("Dilexi iustitiam et odivi iniquitatem propterea morior in exilio")..[4]

Gregory was recognized as a saint in 1728..[2]

Gallery[change | change source]

Related pages[change | change source]

References[change | change source]

Emblem of the popes
  1. "List of Popes," Catholic Encyclopedia (2009); retrieved 2011-12-1.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Pope St. Gregory VII," Catholic Encyclopedia; retrieved 2011-12-1.
  3. Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. (1838). "Gregory VII," Penny cyclopaedia, Vol. 11, pp. 444-446.
  4. Douglas, J. James Dixon. (1992). "Gregory VII," Who's Who in Christianity, p. 288.

Other websites[change | change source]

Media related to Gregorius VII at Wikimedia Commons

  •  "Pope St. Gregory VII" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913.
  • "Gregory VII", Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911
  • Catholic Hierarchy, Popes in sequence
  • Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, Cardinal Ildebrando


Preceded by
Alexander II
Pope
1073–1085
Succeeded by
Victor III