GREGORY X. (_Tebaldo Visconti_), pope from the 1st of September 1271, to
the 10th of January 1276, was born at Piacenza in 1208, studied for the
church, and became archdeacon of Liege. The eighteen cardinals who met
to elect a successor to Clement IV. were divided into French and Italian
factions, which wrangled over the election for nearly three years in the
midst of great popular excitement, until finally, stirred by the
eloquence of St Bonaventura, the Franciscan monk, they entrusted the
choice to six electors, who hit on Visconti, at that time accompanying
Edward of England on the crusade. He returned to Rome and was ordained
priest on the 19th of March 1272, and consecrated on the 27th. He at
once summoned the fourteenth general council of the Catholic Church,
which met at Lyons in 1274, with an attendance of some 1600 prelates,
for the purpose of considering the eastern schism, the condition of the
Holy Land, and the abuses in the church. The Greeks were persuaded,
thanks to St Bonaventura, to consent to a union with Rome for the time
being, and Rudolph of Habsburg renounced at the council all imperial
rights in the States of the Church. The most celebrated among the many
reform decrees issued by Gregory was the constitution determining for
the first time the form of conclave at papal elections, which in large
measure has remained ever since the law of the church. Gregory was on
his way to Rome to crown Rudolph and send him out on a great crusade in
company with the kings of England, France, Aragon and Sicily, when he
died at Arezzo on the 10th of January 1276. He was a nobleman, fond of
peace and actuated by the consciousness of a great mission. He has been
honoured as a saint by the inhabitants of Arezzo and Piacenza. His
successor in the papacy was Innocent V.
The registers of Gregory X. have been published by J. Guiraud in the
_Bibliotheque des ecoles francaises d'Athenes et de Rome_ (Paris,
1892-1898). See K. J. von Hefele, _Conciliengeschichte_, vol. 5, 2nd
edition (1873-1890); H. Finke, _Konzilienstudien z. Gesch. des 13ten
Jahrhunderts_ (Munster, 1891); P. Piacenza, _Compendia della storia
del b. Gregorio X, papa_ (Piacenza, 1876); F. Gregorovius, _Rome in
the Middle Ages_, vol. 5, trans. by Mrs G. W. Hamilton (London,
1900-1902); H. Otto, _Die Beziehungen Rudolfs von Habsburgs zu Papst
Gregor X._ (Innsbruck, 1895); A. Zisterer, _Gregor X. u. Rudolf von
Habsburg in ihren gegenseitigen Beziehungen_ (Freiburg i. B., 1891);
F. Walter, _Die Politik der Kurie unter Gregor X._ (Berlin, 1894); A.
Potthast, _Regesta pontif. Roman._ vol. 2 (Berlin, 1875); W. Norden,
_Das Papsttum und Byzanz_ (Berlin, 1903); J. Loserth, "Akten uber die
Wahl Gregors X." in _Neues Archiv_, xxi. (1895); A. von
Hirsch-Gereuth, "Die Kreuzzugspolitik Gregors X." in _Studien z.
Gesch. d. Kreuzzugsidee nach den Kreuzzugen_ (Munich, 1896). There is
an excellent article by Carl Mirbt in Hauck's _Realencyklopadie_, 3rd
edition.
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