Adrian IV (about 1110-1159) was the only English pope. He was elected pope in 1154. The city of Rome was in revolt against the papacy at the time of his election. Adrian placed Rome under a religious ban. With the cooperation of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I, Adrian regained control of the city. Adrian made great claims for papal authority, and his policies led to a split between the empire and the papacy after his death.
At the imperial Diet of Besancon in 1157, Adrian sent a letter to Frederick in which he claimed that he had bestowed the empire on Frederick as a fief of the papacy. The letter caused a great uproar because it implied that the emperor was subordinate to the pope. Adrian explained that the translation of an ambiguous word led to the misunderstanding, and that he had only meant that the emperor had received “gifts” from the pope. The exchange destroyed the relationship between the pope and the emperor. The next year, at the Diet of Roncaglia, Frederick declared imperial authority over all of northern Italy. Adrian threatened to excommunicate Frederick if he did not withdraw his claims. But the pope died on Sept. 1, 1159, soon after the confrontation.
Adrian was born near St. Albans. His given and family name was Nicholas Breakspear.
