Pope Gregory XI: The Pope Who Returned to Rome

Pope Gregory XI’s reign marked the end of the Avignon Papacy, bringing the papal court back to Rome after nearly seventy years in southern France. Although his return restored the papacy to its traditional home, it also set the stage for one of the greatest crises in medieval Christianity, the Great Western Schism.

Gregory XI inherited a Church weakened by plague, war, political division, and growing criticism of papal government. His pontificate was dominated by the difficult task of balancing French influence, maintaining papal authority in Italy, and deciding whether Rome could once again serve as the center of Western Christendom.

Early Years

Gregory XI was born Pierre Roger de Beaufort around 1329 at the Château de Maumont in the Limousin region of France. He belonged to the influential Roger family, whose fortunes had risen dramatically when his uncle became Pope Clement VI in 1342.

Like many nephews of medieval popes, Pierre benefited from his family’s position. At nineteen years old he was appointed a cardinal, though he continued his education rather than immediately entering papal administration. He studied law at the University of Perugia, developing a reputation as an intelligent canon lawyer with a methodical mind.

Unlike some Renaissance popes who would later gain notoriety for extravagance, Gregory was personally devout and lived a relatively modest life. Contemporary writers described him as pious and conscientious, though often hesitant when faced with difficult political decisions.

Rise to the Papacy

When Pope Urban V died in December 1370, the College of Cardinals elected Pierre Roger de Beaufort as his successor. Taking the name Gregory XI, he became the seventh and final pope to reign from Avignon.

His election came during one of the most difficult periods of the fourteenth century. Europe was still recovering from the devastating effects of the Black Death and the Hundred Years’ War continued to consume France and England. Across Italy, papal authority had weakened as powerful city-states increasingly resisted government from distant French administrators.

Gregory quickly realized that the prestige and authority of the papacy depended on more than spiritual leadership. Unless the pope returned to Rome, many feared the papacy would be viewed as an institution under French political influence rather than the universal head of the Western Church.

Papacy

Gregory XI spent much of his pontificate attempting to restore papal authority in Italy. Several cities within the Papal States openly challenged papal rule, culminating in the War of the Eight Saints (1375–1378), a conflict led by Florence against the papacy.

Gregory relied heavily on mercenary armies, including forces commanded by Sir John Hawkwood. During the war, papal troops were associated with the brutal Massacre of Cesena in 1377, an event that damaged the reputation of papal government throughout Italy.

At the same time, Gregory maintained extensive diplomatic efforts across Europe. He sought peace between England and France, supported missionary work, encouraged Church reform, and attempted to strengthen ecclesiastical discipline. Yet one question overshadowed every other concern: should the pope remain safely in Avignon or return permanently to Rome?

Among those urging his return was Catherine of Siena, whose letters appealed to Gregory’s sense of spiritual duty. Catherine argued that the pope’s proper place was in Rome, where the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul symbolized the universal mission of the Church. Although Gregory received advice from many political and religious figures, Catherine became one of the most influential voices encouraging the move.

In September 1376 Gregory finally departed Avignon by sea. The journey to Italy was slow and dangerous, complicated by storms and the ongoing political unrest. On 17 January 1377, Gregory XI formally entered Rome, ending nearly seven decades of papal residence in Avignon.

The city he found was far removed from its imperial glory. Many ancient buildings lay in ruins, parts of the city were sparsely populated, and years of neglect had left important churches in poor condition. Nevertheless, Gregory’s arrival restored the papacy to its traditional seat for the first time since 1309.

Papal Highlights

Ended the Avignon Papacy

Gregory XI’s most enduring achievement was returning the papacy to Rome. This decision permanently ended the period known as the Avignon Papacy, during which seven successive popes had governed the Church from southern France.

Re-established Rome as the Papal Center

Although Rome remained politically unstable, Gregory reaffirmed its status as the spiritual capital of the Latin Church. His return ensured that future popes would once again rule from the city traditionally associated with Saint Peter.

Encouraged Reform

Gregory supported reforms within religious orders, promoted missionary activity, and attempted to improve clerical discipline. These efforts reflected growing concern about the health of the Church in the decades before the Great Western Schism.

Legacy

Gregory XI died in Rome on 27 March 1378, little more than a year after his return.

His death immediately created intense pressure on the College of Cardinals. Romans demanded the election of an Italian pope, fearing the papacy might once again leave the city. The election of Urban VI quickly became controversial, leading several French cardinals to reject the result and elect a rival pope at Avignon.

The resulting Great Western Schism divided Western Christendom for nearly forty years, with rival popes (and eventually even a third claimant) each asserting their legitimacy.

Although Gregory did not cause the schism, his return to Rome created the circumstances in which it unfolded. If he remained in Avignon, the papacy might have become permanently identified with the French monarchy.

Gregory XI is remembered for returning the papacy to Rome, ending one of the most unusual chapters in papal history and shaping the future of the Catholic Church for centuries to come.

Read more articles in The Medieval Papacy series

Pope John IV: The Dalmatian Pope Who Ransomed Captives and Fought Heresy

Pope Sergius III: Murder, Scandal, and the Dark Age of the Papacy

Pope John XV: Politics, Power, and the First Papal Canonization

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