Fact Sheet - Nicholas Breakspear -. Our school is named after the only English pope, Nicholas Breakspear, who lived in the 12th century. Both the area between Ickenham and Harefield, and the Hertfordshire village of Abbotts Langley lay claim to having been the place of Nicholas' birth in the early eleven hundreds. Wherever he may have been born, Nicholas was probably born into a farming family who were tenants of the abbey of St Albans.
On first reflection Nicholas might not appear to be the ideal 'patron' for a school. After spending several years studying at the abbey Nicholas was refused permission to become a monk there.
In France, Nicholas undertook his religious education and soon became a canon regular at St Rufus Monastery near the southern town of Avignon. Breakspear rose through the ranks after which he was unanimously elected to become abbot.
It was not too long before his ascent attracted attention, particularly the awareness of Pope Eugene III, who admired his discipline and zealous approach towards reforms. It had also been rumoured that his good looks and eloquent style garnered much attention and helped secure his position.
Whilst this won him favour with Pope Euegne III, others were more cautious and led to some lodging complaints against him to Rome. Pope Adrian IV. Fortunately for Breakspear Pope Eugene III, a prominent Anglophile looked upon him favourably and ignored the whisperings and complaints. Instead he made him a cardinal, naming him Cardinal Bishop of Albano in December In this position Breakspear was given many important tasks, one of which included reorganising the church in Scandinavia.
For two years Breakspear found himself based in Scandinavia as a papal legate, proving to be particularly successful which won him yet more great plaudits from the Pope. As a legate he undertook several reforming tasks including successfully reorganising the Swedish church as well as establishing an independent archiepiscopal for Norway, thus creating a Diocese at Hamar. This allowed for the creation of numerous cathedral school in cities across Norway, leaving behind a lasting effect on the education system and spiritual consciousness in Scandinavia.
Having left a positive impression in the north, Breakspear returned to Rome where he would become the th Pope, unanimously elected in December , taking the name Adrian IV. Unfortunately, Pope Adrian IV would be faced with numerous challenges, as he succeeded the papal throne during an eventful and tumultuous time in Rome.
Firstly, he had to deal with the ongoing problems caused by Arnold of Brescia, a leading anti-papal figure.
Arnold had been a canon who had participated in the unsuccessful Commune of Rome, which was established in after the rebellion of Giordano Pierleoni. Their biggest grievance was based on the growing powers of the Pope, as well as the nobility which surrounded the papal authority. There had been attempts to reorganise the system into something which resembled the Roman Republic. Arnold of Brescia had been exiled at least three times for his involvement, principally as an intellectual figurehead in the group.
Nicholas also sought admission to the abbey, but was refused, perhaps because of his lack of education. Undeterred, he went to France, studying at Arles in Provence and then joining the St Ruf monastery where he prospered, becoming abbot. Highly regarded by the Pope, he was given important jobs, including organising the Church in Catalonia after the defeat of the Saracens, and then in Scandinavia as papal legate.
Not a bad achievement. When he returned from Scandinavia in , Eugenius had died, and Breakspear became the th Pope, remaining in the post until his death in His reign was short but eventful. Pope Adrian made peace with the city of Rome, resisting the emperor's attempts to secure control over the city and the papal territories in what is now central Italy. But Prof Duggan, an expert in medieval history at King's College, London, said his most important achievement for Catholics generally was establishing the principle that serfs could freely and lawfully marry without the consent of their lords.
For centuries, Pope Adrian had a bad name in Ireland because of the papal bull Laudabiliter that appeared to give Ireland in perpetuity to the English king, but Prof Duggan said a text relating to this had been falsified. There was a farm on the site up until the s when it was demolished to make way for a development of new houses. A plaque commemorates the spot as Breakspear's birthplace. His memory lives on, too, at Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School in St Albans, where pupils undertake a unit of work on him.
He came from the same place as they did, and they are in Rome where he was, so it's very nice," said Ella McCarthy, head of religious education.
She said pupils were often amused to hear stories that he died choking on a fly while drinking wine.
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