Bruno was the chaplain of his cousin, EmperorOtto III, who presented him as a candidate and arranged his election.[4][5] Bruno was elected and succeededJohn XV aspope, taking the name Gregory V[6] to honourPope Gregory the Great; he thus became the first pope to choose a regnal name for a reason other than avoiding a name that was too pagan or that ofSaint Peter.[7] He is often counted as the first German pope (or the second ifBoniface II, anOstrogoth, is counted).[8] Following Otto's return to Germany, Gregory was forced to flee Rome, after the election ofantipope John XVI, whomCrescentius II and the nobles of Rome had chosen against the will of Otto III.[5]
Politically, Gregory acted consistently as the Emperor's representative in Rome and granted many exceptional privileges to monasteries within theHoly Roman Empire. One of his first acts was to crownOtto III emperor on 21 May 996.[9] Together, they held a synod a few days after the coronation in whichArnulf, Archbishop of Reims, was ordered to be restored to hisSee of Reims,[10] andGerbert of Aurillac, was condemned as an intruder. KingRobert II of France, who had been insisting on his right to appoint bishops, was ultimately obliged to retract his claim, and also to put aside his wife,Bertha of Burgundy, by the rigorous enforcement of a sentence ofexcommunication on the kingdom.[11]
Until the conclusion of the council ofPavia in 997, John XVI and Crescentius were in possession of Rome. The revolt of Crescentius II was decisively suppressed by Otto III, who marched upon Rome. John XVI fled, and Crescentius shut himself up in theCastel Sant'Angelo. The Emperor's troops pursued the antipope, captured him, cut off his nose and ears, cut out his tongue, blinded him, and publicly degraded him before Otto III and Gregory V.[12] When the much respectedSt. Nilus of Rossano castigated both the Emperor and Pope for their cruelty,John XVI was sent to themonastery of Fulda in Germany, where he lived untilc. 1001.[13] The Castel Sant'Angelo was besieged, and when it was taken in 998, Crescentius was hanged upon its walls.
Pope Gregory V died suddenly on 18 February 999, at around 27 years old. The exact cause of his death is not known. Some later writers suggested he may have been poisoned, but there is no strong evidence to support this, and most modern historians treat it as uncertain.[14]
He was buried inSt. Peter’s Basilica inRome, near the tomb ofPope Pelagius I. His original tomb no longer exists, as it was likely removed during major rebuilding work on the basilica in the 16th century. However, records from that time mention his epitaph and burial location.[15]
Pope Gregory V’s time as pope was important in the growing connection between the papacy and the Holy Roman Empire during the late 10th century. As the first pope from what is now Austria and Germany, his election showed how much influence theOttonian emperors had over the Church at that time.[17]
Pope Gregory V worked closely with his cousin,Emperor Otto III, and supported imperial policies in Church matters. He gave special rights to many monasteries in the empire and took part in settling disputes over who should be bishops, including in the important cities ofReims andCanterbury.[18]
Many historians see Pope Gregory V as a figure who represented a turning point in the Church's history. His reign highlighted the close ties between the papacy and the empire, but also the problems that came with that relationship. Some of the issues that arose during his papacy, such as disputes over Church appointments and papal authority, would become major topics in later Church reforms[19]
^Mann, Horace Kinder (2014).The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages, Volume 4... - Primary Source Edition. Nabu Press (published 15 March 2014).ISBN978-1293869475.
^Rendina, Claudio (2002).The Popes: Histories and Secrets. Seven Locks Pr (published 1 January 2002).ISBN978-1931643139.
^Ullmann, Walter (2002).A Short History of the Papacy in the Middle Ages (2nd ed.). Routledge (published 19 December 2002). pp. 105–106.ISBN978-0415302272.
^Ullmann, Walter (2002).A Short History of the Papacy in the Middle Ages. Routledge (published 19 December 2002). pp. 104–105.ISBN978-0415302272.
^Reuter, Timothy (1991).Germany in the Early Middle Ages c. 800-1056 (Germany in the Early Middle Ages c. 800-1056 (Longman History of Germany) 1st ed.). Timothy Reuter (published 2 September 1991). pp. 189–190.ISBN978-0582490345.
^Tellenbach, Gerd (1993).The Church in Western Europe from the Tenth to the Early Twelfth Century (Cambridge Medieval Textbooks). Cambridge University Press (published 30 April 1993). pp. 56–58.ISBN978-0521437110.
