Pope Gregory VIII facts for kids

Pope Gregory VIII (born Alberto di Morra) was the leader of the Catholic Church and the ruler of the Papal States for about two months in 1187. He was born around 1100 or 1105. Before becoming pope, he had a long career helping the Church with important tasks. During his short time as pope, he helped the Church become friends again with the Holy Roman Empire. He also started the Third Crusade, a major military journey to the Holy Land.

Early Life of Alberto di Morra

Alberto di Morra was born in a town called Benevento around the year 1105. His father was a nobleman named Sartorius di Morra. Early in his life, Alberto decided to become a monk. He joined a religious group called the Premonstratensian order when he was in his twenties. He served as a canon, which is a type of priest, at St. Martin's Abbey in Laon. Later, he became a professor in Bologna, teaching canon law. Canon law is the set of rules and laws that guide the Catholic Church.

Alberto's Career as a Cardinal

In 1156, Pope Adrian IV made Alberto a cardinal. A cardinal is a high-ranking official in the Catholic Church, chosen by the Pope. As a cardinal, Alberto traveled a lot for the Pope. He was a "papal legate," meaning he was the Pope's official representative.

He taught canon law across Europe in the 1160s. He also went to Portugal to help crown King Afonso I. In 1163, he worked to make peace between the Church and Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa. The Emperor had been excommunicated, meaning he was formally cut off from the Church. Alberto helped bring them back together.

Alberto also went to England to look into the death of Thomas Becket. He helped clear King Henry II of England of direct involvement in Becket's death. From 1177 to 1179, Alberto worked as a legate in Italy. In 1178, he became the Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church. This was a very important job where he managed many official Church documents. He created special rules for how papal documents should be written, which were very important for the Church's official papers.

Becoming Pope Gregory VIII

On October 21, 1187, Alberto di Morra was chosen to be the new pope. He took the name Gregory VIII. He was officially made pope on October 25. Because of his past work, he had a good relationship with the Holy Roman Emperor. This helped the Church and the Empire get along better.

A big event happened just before he became pope: Christian armies in the Kingdom of Jerusalem were badly defeated at the Battle of Hattin. In response, Pope Gregory VIII issued an important letter called Audita tremendi. This letter called for a new military journey, the Third Crusade, to help the Holy Land.

Pope Gregory VIII wanted to unite the cities of Pisa and Genoa. These cities were fighting each other, but they both had strong navies. The Pope hoped they would stop fighting and join the Third Crusade together. On his way to Pisa, he stopped in Lucca. There, he ordered the body of an "antipope" (someone who claimed to be pope but wasn't officially recognized) to be removed from his tomb.

Death and Legacy

Pope Gregory VIII died in Pisa on December 17, 1187. He had a fever and had been pope for only 57 days. He was buried in the main church in Pisa, called the Duomo. Sadly, his tomb and remains were destroyed in a fire in the 1600s. After him, Clement III became the next pope. Even though Gregory VIII was pope for a very short time, his work to make peace and start the Third Crusade was very important.

See also

• List of popes
• October 1187 Papal election