Pope 157
Gregory VII
The 157th pope in the Holy See's list of Supreme Pontiffs, serving as Bishop of Rome from 22.IV, 30.VI.1073 to 25.V.1085. His secular name is listed as Ildebrando. The Holy See lists his birthplace as Tuscia.
Why this pontificate matters
Gregory VII marks the reform papacy at full intensity. The office is no longer only guarding a received sequence; it is asserting claims about spiritual authority, appointment, discipline, and the relation between church and empire.
This is where a single-line succession needs political context.
The investiture struggle belongs beside the timeline as an era note, not as a new succession branch.
Predecessor
- Alexander II · succeeded in see · documented
Gregory VII follows Alexander II as Bishop of Rome in the Holy See's sequential list of Supreme Pontiffs.
Successor
- Victor III · succeeded in see · documented
Victor III follows Gregory VII as Bishop of Rome in the Holy See's sequential list of Supreme Pontiffs.