Nicholas Breakspear was elected the first (and only) English pope in 1154.
It was believed that he was born around 1100 AD in Langley near St. Albans, Hertfordshire. His father Robert, was a priest. He sadly left his son Nicholas to fend for himself when he became part of the diocese of Bath. Nicholas admired his father and was very keen to join the church from a young age. But the abbot told him to wait.
“Wait to go on with his schooling so that he might be considered more suitable”, he said.
European Influence
But, Nicholas was not a patient young man. He headed off to Paris, and later became a canon regular at St Rufus monastery near Arles in the south of France. His leadership style ruffled many feathers, and records describe a feeling of hatred towards him within the monastery. There were also complaints sent directly to Rome. The church decided to send Nicholas to Scandinavia, where he really impressed the church authorities.
He was so highly praised that it was not long after he was recalled to Rome. Here he was elected successor to St. Peter and took the name of Pope Adrian IV.
As was the case earlier in his career, his controversial leadership style was questioned. And his involvement in Italian and European politics was not appreciated. At one stage the Romans even drove him from Rome. He thus spent over a year in a form of ‘exile’ from the Vatican City.
In England
At the same time, in England, Henry II had his eye on Ireland. There are many stories about his invasion of the Emerald Isle, but one of the stories involved Pope Adrian. Henry apparently requested permission from Pope Adrian to invade and rule Ireland. Some say there was opposition to this request from within the royal court. And some say the pope refused to give him this permission. Another suggestion is that Adrian gave him the permission as long as the pope remained the overlord. Henry refused this compromised and decided that absolute rule would come from invasion and not from papal consent.
When Henry was later challenged about this invasion, he said that Pope Adrian had issued a Papal Bull which gave him full permission. Historians are still unclear as to the specifics of Henry’s Irish takeover.
Death
Adrian remained in the papal office for five years until his death in 1159. Witnesses claim that he died when he choked on a fly while enjoying a goblet of wine. But historian believe he may have died from a complication of tonsillitis called quinsy. He would’ve had a build up of pus in his throat, a high temperature, he would have drooled, had difficulty speaking and may have had a swollen throat. Not a pleasant condition!
John of Salisbury, a churchman and scholar, wrote about Adrian and of his many tough times in the church, especially as a young man in France:
“The office of Pope, he assured me, was a thorny one, beset on all sides with sharp pricks. He wished indeed that he had never left England, his native land, or at least had lived his life quietly in the cloister of Sts. Rufus rather than have entered on such difficult paths, but he dared not refuse, since it was the Lord’s bidding.”
And, there are event rumours that Adrian was an ancestor of William Shakespeare!
Check out THIS uCatholic article
