Gregory IX
(Ugolino de Segni; Anagni, c .1170-Rome, 1241) Pope of the Catholic Church (1227-1241).Nephew of Pope Innocent III, he studied in Paris and Bologna and in 1206 he was appointed Cardinal Bishop of Ostia by his uncle.A man of notable legal scholarship, he defended with great energy the claims of power of the papacy and the freedom of the church, for which reason he came into conflict with Emperor Frederick II Hohenstaufen.
Pope Gregory IX approves the Decretals (fresco by Rafael Sanzio)
Already in 1227 he excommunicated Frederick II for failing to fulfill his promise to undertake a new crusade, and in 1229 ordered the invasion of the kingdom of Sicily.In 1230 he made peace with the emperor, although the struggle between the Church and the emperor continued.In 1239 he again excommunicated Federico II and decreed a crusade against him; the imperial troops were about to enter Rome when he passed away.
During his pontificate, Gregory IX founded the Inquisition and, with the promulgation of the Decretals (compiled by Saint Raimundo de Peñafort), reinforced the papal authority in doctrinal and disciplinary matters.He generously supported the newly born mendicant orders (Franciscans and Dominicans, founded respectively by San Francisco de Asís and Santo Domingo de Guzmán), as well as the activity of the Teutonic order in Eastern Europe.He was also concerned with promoting theological studies and missions.From his papacy dates the beginning of the rivalry between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines.
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