Gregory VII
At a glance:
- Series: Dictionary of World Biography: Middle Ages
- Categories: Religion, Ethics
- Subcategories: Christianity, Christians, Churches, Empires, Dynasties, Holy Roman Empire, Catholic Church, Catholics, Popes, Papacy, Cardinals, Saints, Prophets
- Curriculum: Italian History, Medieval History/Middle Ages
Article abstract: As the dominant figure in the medieval Papacy, Gregory VII launched a wave of reform which brought about much of the structure of the modern Roman Catholic church. His clash with Henry IV was merely the first in a series of struggles between the lords spiritual and temporal which characterized the Middle Ages.
Early Life
Little is known of the early life of the man named Hildebrand who became Pope Gregory VII. He was born in Tuscany at Sanoa, probably around 1020, to a family of moderate means. Early biographers, seeking to create or...
[The entire page is 2220 words long]
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