Pope Adrian IV

Pope Adrian IV (Latin: Adrianus IV; born c.  1100), born Nicholas Breakspear, is the current Pope and head of the Catholic Church.

Nicholas' father was one Robert Breakspear, who went on to become a monk at St Albans' Abbey in Hertfordshire. Nicholas himself travelled to France, where he became an Augustinian canon regular at St Rufus' Abbey near Arles. A swift rise through the monastic hierarchy coupled with a reforming zeal earned him the attention of Pope Eugene III, who named him Cardinal Bishop of Albano in 1149.

In 1152 Eugene dispatched Nicholas to Scandinavia as his Papal Legate, where he worked hard to reorganise the Nordic church, establishing a Norwegian Archbishopric at Trondheim, founding schools in several cities and resolving a number of organisational disputes between Swedish and Danish Bishops. His work in Scandinavia done, Nicholas was recalled to Rome in 1154, where he was received warmly by Pope Anastasius IV.

His return to Rome was well-timed, for on December 3rd Anastasius died of old age. The Cardinals gathered at the Vatican to elect his successor and unanimously chose Nicholas after just one day. On December 4th Nicholas Breakspear emerged to the world at large as Pope Adrian IV, the first Englishman to ever occupy the Papal throne.

Adrian had inherited a troubled church. In Rome the fanatical anti-Papal monk Arnold of Brescia stirred up mob violence to such a degree that a Cardinal was murdered in the city. The new Pope worked swiftly to assert his authority over the holy city. He imposed an interdict on Rome - an unprecedented act which closed all churches and forbade the celebration of any sacraments or rites within the confines of the city. This in turn deterred pilgrims from visiting the city, and crippled the local economy. Shortly after he allied himself with the German Emperor, Frederick Barbarossa, who entered the city with troops in early 1155 to restore order and had Arnold arrested and hanged.

Adrian has since proven himself to be a strong-willed and determined Pope, and it remains to be seen how he will approach the ongoing turmoil in his homeland - especially if it starts to threaten the interests of the Church.