Early life of pope gregory vii

Pope Gregory VII was the 157th pope of the Catholic Church and often called Pope Saint Gregory VII as the Church canonized him. He ruled more for more than 12 years and struggled with Henry IV who was the emperor of Germany.

You can learn about his canonization and papacy in this article.

Early Life

Originally named ildebrando di Soana, the future pope was born in a small town in central Italy that is now part of Tuscany. His father was a blacksmith and made enough money that he could send him to Rome for school.

Pope gregory vii five facts

His uncle worked in a nearby monastery and was able to keep an eye on him. He would accompany some of his teachers to Germany before returning to Rome and declaring that he wanted to become a monk. The young man worked for other leaders of the Catholic Church before becoming pope.

Papal Election

According to a popular story from the time, the bishops met in Rome to choose the next pope and hear someone shout out the man’s name.

He would flee from the words and