Gregory IX

Italian pope (1227-1241)

• Born: c. 1170
• Birthplace: Anagni (now in Italy)
• Died: August 22, 1241
• Place of death: Rome (now in Italy)

With perseverance, courage, and conviction, under difficult circumstances, Gregory IX defended the Church from every perceived threat, encouraging spiritual life and learning within its structure, particularly in canon law.

Early Life

Little is known of the early life of Gregory IX. He was born Ugo or Ugolino, son of the count of Segni, and was descended from equally distinguished noblemen on his mother’s side of the family. Ugo was a relative of Innocent III, arguably the most powerful pope of the Middle Ages. Research indicates that he was probably Innocent’s grandnephew.

Contemporary biographers describe Ugo as a man of pleasing form, handsome features, and aristocratic bearing. He was also described as possessing a remarkable memory and an active mind. He was an eloquent speaker, and a biblical scholar of distinction who enjoyed discussion of scriptural texts. Said to have been a model of virtue, kind to others, and compassionate to those less fortunate than he, Ugo seems to have been genuinely interested in the spiritual life. Intellectually gifted, he studied at the University of Paris, and probably at Bologna, before being named chaplain to Innocent III. He was elevated to the position of cardinal-deacon of the Church of Saint Eustachius in 1198, and became cardinal-bishop of Ostia in 1206.

Throughout his pontificate, Ugo was close to Innocent III, accepting many embassies in his name, and traveling widely to represent papal interests. He was legate to the Germanies when rival claimants to the imperial crown brought on a war. German problems occupied Ugo until 1206. He also represented the pope in northern Italy, in both Tuscany and Lombardy. Innocent’s successor, Honorius III , also used Ugo’s negotiating skills in those territories to create peaceful cooperation between cities and to facilitate the preaching of a crusade. Wherever assigned, Ugo sought always to preserve ecclesiastical rights against secular encroachment and to foster clerical reform.

During Bishop Ugo’s mission to northern Italy, he met Saint Francis of Assisi and was deeply impressed by his piety, simplicity, and zeal. Francis found in the bishop a man to be admired and trusted. Their lasting friendship played a great part in the future of the Franciscan order.

In 1220, Ugo was in Rome for the coronation of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and to encourage the new ruler to lead a crusade against the Turks as he had earlier sworn to do. Ugo returned to Lombardy for a period in 1221; from 1222 until Honorius III’s death in 1227, he appears to have been in attendance at the papal court as a principal adviser. On March 19, 1227, after the burial ceremonies for Honorius III, the cardinals met and elected Ugo to the Papacy as Gregory IX. His coronation took place on Easter Sunday, April 11, 1227.

Life’s Work

Gregory IX’s fourteen-year pontificate was profoundly influenced by the long struggle with Frederick II, which seems to have been its dominant theme. Although this problem is central to any consideration of his papacy, Gregory did accomplish other goals worthy of attention. Gregory had the misfortune of inheriting old problems of church-state relations, as well as a powerful adversary in Frederick, called by his contemporaries “the wonder of the world.”

Frederick II inherited from his father, Henry VI, claims to German lands and the imperial title. From his mother, Constance, he held Norman lands in southern Italy and Sicily. Ecclesiastical authorities in Rome perceived these combined realms, which surrounded the Papal States, as constituting a threat to church interests. Frederick’s personality and ambition caused further concern. The twelfth and thirteenth centuries saw noteworthy growth in the power of medieval kingship. The Papacy, too, had developed as a medieval monarchy as well as a religious fount. This was to be an era of much dispute on the relative powers of the two jurisdictions. Clashes and challenges were inevitable.

From the moment of Gregory’s accession, he urged the emperor and the faithful of Europe to undertake the promised crusade . Reluctantly, Frederick sailed in September of 1227, after keeping the crusading armies waiting for three months. Because disease and disaffection daily diminished the ranks of the fighting men, public opinion became critical of pope and emperor alike. Two days after the embarkation, Frederick returned, pleading ill health. Crusaders who finally arrived in the Holy Land found themselves leaderless and returned or died in skirmishes resulting from this failed endeavor.

Gregory IX promptly excommunicated the emperor, who ignored the pope’s action. Despite his public stance, Gregory privately sought a reconciliation by letter and by sending legates to the emperor. Frederick refused all overtures, and began his long struggle to become the absolute ruler of the territories he claimed, further antagonizing the Papacy by his treatment of clerics within his realm.

In June, 1228, Frederick left Italy for the Holy Land without notifying the pope of his intentions or asking that the excommunication be lifted. He took with him only a small army, since he intended not to fight but to negotiate a treaty with the Saracen authorities. The action brought on a second excommunication. Frederick concluded a treaty with the sultan that returned Jerusalem to Christian hands but failed to provide any defense against the Saracen power. Fearing papal intervention among his vassals, Frederick returned to Italy to assert his independence and regain control of his ancestral lands. From 1228 to 1229, negotiators tried to lessen the tensions between the two parties. In July of 1230, the Treaty of San Germano ushered in an uneasy truce that lasted until 1236. Hostilities were resumed when Frederick invaded Lombardy, arousing on the part of the pope support for the Lombard League against him. The struggle continued through the remaining years of the pontificate, ultimately contributing to the death of Gregory in 1241.

Despite the distraction of this struggle, Gregory was able to accomplish many of his goals. His devotion to learning resulted in a statement of privileges to the masters and students of Paris in 1231 that is regarded as the true charter of the university. The document deals with the government of the school and guarantees its intellectual freedom. In 1210, the Aristotelian texts on natural philosophy had been proscribed by a council and were no longer taught. Gregory wanted the works reconsidered because he found much that was useful in them, in spite of some portions that were regarded as detrimental. He commissioned a distinguished group of masters to examine the books and remove any erroneous or scandalous material so that Aristotle might again be studied.

One of the most significant achievements of Gregory’s pontificate was his contribution to the development of canon law . Gregory was himself a shrewd and able lawyer. His experience at the papal court and as a legate had taught him the need of systematizing and unifying the great mass of ecclesiastical law. In the twelfth century, the monk Gratian had collected earlier law, attempting to reconcile its differences and present his own conclusions and synthesis in a volume known as the Decretum (c. 1140). Much more still needed to be done, however, as nearly a century of scholarly activity had swelled the collection of materials.

To this end, Gregory appointed the Dominican friar Raymond of Peñafort to compile material including his own decretals (responses of the popes to questions put to them by their bishops on various points of law; scholars known as decretalists researched them and attempted to clarify and organize these responses). The result was a useful compendium that became the basic text at the law school at Bologna. Raymond compiled the materials in five books containing two thousand sections. The work was widely acclaimed and became the basis for the developing body of canon law as well as an influence on other European legal traditions.

Gregory’s legal interests also led to the establishment of the Inquisition in 1233. Alarmed by the successful spread of old heresies into Spain and Italy, as well as by the popular mob actions against them, Gregory established a separate tribunal under the direction of the new Dominican order. The episcopal office, with its inherent inquisitorial powers, had too many other duties to meet the immediate need. The tribunal was firmly grounded in law, although it did not meet modern concepts of justice.

At the end of his pontificate as at the beginning, Frederick II was the pope’s nemesis. The emperor had created dissension in Rome, captured a number of leading churchmen, hanged members of the pope’s family in northern Italy, and written against him. Finally, he blockaded Rome, forcing the ill and grieving pope to endure the unhealthy summer months there. Gregory IX died on August 22, 1241.

Significance

At Gregory IX’s death, he was praised as a good shepherd, a noble and dedicated man. An enlightened figure in many ways for the times, he was torn between his duty as pope and his own desire for peace. He was keenly aware that Innocent III had established precedents for him to follow, but he was uncomfortable with military and political solutions, quickly offering alternatives to his adversaries. It was his misfortune to be pitted against a man of Frederick’s ability and ambition.

This pope was far more at ease structuring the rule for the Franciscan order, presiding over the canonization of Francis, or protecting and assisting orders for religious women. Gregory was the patron of Saint Clare, a friend and disciple of Saint Francis who founded the Order of Poor Clares. He also befriended Agnes, daughter of the king of Bohemia, who wished to enter religious life rather than marry. Placing her under his protection, the pope helped her enter the Poor Clares.

Gregory’s concern for women under monasticism led to concern for all women, and in 1227 he approved the Order of Saint Mary Magdalene, founded as a refuge for repentant prostitutes. These women were permitted to take vows as nuns in the order or to return to the world and marry.

Gregory’s interest in spreading the Gospel to Africa and the northern reaches of the Baltic was never realized. Too many problems (including the Mongol invasion of Russia) frustrated these ambitions. Also doomed was his desire for reconciliation with the Eastern church, although some negotiations were opened and some talks took place.

In many ways, Gregory IX was a victim of the clash of church-state rights. The office he inherited had become so embroiled in political affairs that the question of the role of the spiritual in the world had to be addressed. As a lawyer, Gregory believed that his responsibility as the spiritual leader extended to the social consequences of political action. He therefore felt the need to intervene in secular affairs. To that end, Gregory IX tirelessly directed his time and energy throughout his pontificate.

Bibliography

Abulafia, David. Frederick II: A Medieval Emperor. 1988. Reprint. London: Pimlico, 1992. A biography of Frederick II. Contains illustrations, maps, bibliography, and index.

O’Gorman, Bob, and Mary Faulkner. “Glad You Asked: Q&A on Church Teaching: What Was the Inquisition?” U.S. Catholic 66, no. 10 (October, 2001): 28. This brief article traces the development and progress of the Inquisition, including its establishment by Pope Gregory IX.

Powell, James M. Anatomy of a Crusade, 1213-1221. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1986. An examination of the Fifth Crusade and Frederick II’s role in it. Contains maps, illustrations, a bibliography, and an index.

Robson, Michael. Saint Francis of Assisi: The Legend and the Life. London: Geoffre Chapman, 1999. A biography of Saint Francis that describes both the legends and his life. Bibliography and index.

Sabatier, Paul. The Road to Assisi: The Essential Biography of Saint Francis. Brewster, Mass.: Paraclete Press, 2003. A new edition of a classic biography of Saint Francis of Assisi by a French Protestant.

Shannon, Albert Clement. The Medieval Inquisition. 2d ed. Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press, 1991. An examination of the Inquisition, established by Gregory IX, in the Middle Ages. Bibliography and index.