Pope Adrian IV: The only British Pope
To date, just one of the 266 Popes to have served the Catholic Church has been British. Learn more about Nicholas Breakspear (aka Pope Adrian IV) here.
Image: Public Domain
In the wake of Pope Francis’ death at the age of 88, the cardinals descended on Vatican City en masse to elect a new spiritual leader of the Catholic Church. After a reported four rounds of voting in the conclave, Robert Francis Prevost, who took the name Leo XIV, was announced as the first American Pope.
It was a momentous day for the USA, with their first ever Pope drawing them level with the UK. Since the time of Jesus, there have been a grand total of 266 popes – but only one of was British. Nicholas Breakspear, better known as Pope Adrian IV, ruled the Church from 1154 to 1159.
Who was he? How did he come to fulfil the highest role in Catholicism? And how did he fare? Here’s what our team at Sky HISTORY has uncovered.
The road to Rome
Nicholas Breakspear was born in 1100 to a minor cleric named Robert de Camera. When his father decided to become a monk, Nicholas attempted to follow him into St Albans Abbey, only to be told to persevere longer with his studies. Nicholas instead emigrated to France and joined the monastery of St Rufus, before long becoming an abbot.
His strict discipline and religious zeal caught the eye of Pope Eugene III, who made him Cardinal Bishop of Albano in 1149. Not long after, he was transferred to Scandinavia to serve as a papal legate, where he was tasked with reforming the local church. He made notable progress in doing so.
Not only was he responsible for reorganising how Swedish churches operated, but he is also credited with creating the first ever Norwegian Diocese at Hamar. For these deeds his name is perhaps better known in Nordic countries than it is in his native England.
Shortly after returning to Rome from his Scandinavian sojourn, the incumbent Pope Anastasius IV died. Breakspear was elected by unanimous vote at the first time of asking, which is an extremely rare event in the conclave.
Turbulent times
Unfortunately for Adrian IV, his tenure as Pope was plagued by violence and insurrection. First of all, he was tasked with putting down a rebellion by the anti-papal canon, Arnold of Brescia.
To do so, Adrian took the unprecedented step of imposing an interdict on the entirety of Rome, which basically prohibited all church services in the city. The Senate responded by expelling Arnold, who was summarily captured, tried, convicted and hanged.
But just as one crisis was averted, another reared its head. Adrian rewarded Frederick Barbarossa for his help in quelling Arnold’s uprising by crowning him Holy Roman Emperor. However, Barbarossa was famously a cruel and stubborn man and it wouldn’t be long before a rift grew between the two, with the Emperor unwilling to recognise Adrian’s authority over him.
In one particularly memorable scene, Barbarossa refused to grip the stirrup of the Pope’s horse as he dismounted. This had been custom for many years and Barbarossa’s deviation from it caused no little friction between the two men.
Tensions deepen
Meanwhile, there were other fires to be put out. The Normans of southern Italy had long been a problem for the Church, so when the Byzantine Emperor Manuel Comnenus invaded Sicily, Adrian made the bold choice to support him.
Although the alliance initially bore fruit, the cracks soon began to show. An arrogant and troublesome Greek commander by the name of Michael Palealogus caused rifts within the rebel army and, when faced with a huge counterattack by the local Sicilian forces, the hired mercenaries demanded more money. It was not forthcoming.
As a result, they deserted in droves. The Byzantine army was soon both outnumbered and outmanoeuvred and a crushing defeat a Brindisi ended the alliance for good. Reeling from this outcome, and increasingly harried by Barbarossa, Adrian retired to Anagni, from where he planned to excommunicate the Emperor.
He never got a chance. On 1st September the Pope suffered a premature death. Contemporary reports suggest he choked by swallowing a fly in his wine, though modern historians believe it was more likely an infection of the tonsils that did for him.
Legacy and future for British prospects
While Adrian IV’s papacy was characterised by turmoil, he did undoubtedly achieve some progressive policies. Most memorably, he decreed that serfs should be free to wed whoever they wished, without their master’s blessing, since marriage was sacrosanct.
However, his infamous Laudabiliter ruling probably overshadows any of his good works. This papal bull granted the king of England, Henry II, the title of 'Lord of Ireland', which was basically used as justification for the invasion and subjugation of the Irish peoples over the next several centuries. While there is some doubt as to whether such a bull even existed, it’s entirely in keeping with Adrian’s worldview.
Looking to the future, it’s unlikely that another Briton will follow in Adrian’s footsteps. That’s in large part thanks to the work of Henry VIII, whose establishment of the Anglican Church caused a split from Rome that has set England (and by extension, the UK) on a different religious path by and large.
So while there were a handful of English cardinals in attendance at the Vatican, it’s extremely unlikely that any of them – or indeed any of their compatriots – will be the subject of white smoke in the foreseeable future.
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