This is my first entry on blog on a topic of great interest. I will be covering biographies of Popes in the High Middle Ages (1000-1300ish), Popes of the Italian Renaissance (which I’m taking from 1300 to 1550ish) and then Popes of the twentieth century. This will start with the person who was Pope when the calendar entered a new millennium in 1000, Pope Sylvester II.
Pope Sylvester II was born as Gerbert. His exact date, or even year of birth is unknown, but he was believed to be born in 946AD. Again, his place of birth is unknown, but is believed to have been born un the Duchy of Aquitaine in France, perhaps in the province of Auvergne.
His early life had a great focus on education, with his parents taking him to a Benedictine Abbey for education. He became a pupil of a monk called Raimund, and in 963 he entered the Monastery of St Gerald of Aurillac, where he would meet someone of great importance in his early adulthood.
In 967, Count Borrell II of Barcelona was visiting the Monastery of St Gerald. At the urging to abbot (perhaps persuaded by Gerbert, we don’t know) Count Borrell added Gerbert to his retinue. It is believed upon his return to Catalonia, Count Borrell sent Gerbert to the Monastery of Satna Maria de Ripoll, north of Barcelona. While there he likely studied under Bishop Atto of Vich. He is known to have studied Mathematics and astronomy, and likely studied theology as well. He also received Arabic instruction from Seville and Cordoba.
Like all Catalan monasteries at the time, Santa Maria de Ripoll contained manuscripts from Moslem Spain, which Gerbert would soon visit. Borrell II had been at war the Andalusian powers, such as the leader of Cordoba, al-Hakam. Borrell II sent a peace delegation to Cordoba to request a truce with the Andalusian powers, which Bishop Atto was a member of, who chose to take Gerbert with him.
While in Cordoba Gerbert was fascinated by the stories of Mozarab Christian Bishops. They were dressed and talked like Moors, and like the Arab teachers, were well versed in mathematics and natural sciences. It is here Gerbert learned of Hindu-Arabic digits (which we still use today) and applied it to a device he had seen, the Abacus, though probably without the number 0.
It was Gerbert who reintroduced the abacus to Latin Europe. According to the 12th Century Historian, William of Malmsebury, Gerbert got the idea of his abacus from a Moorish scholar at the University of Al-Qarawiyyin. The abacus Gerbert introduced into Europe again has its length divided into 27 parts, with 9 numbers and 1000 characters overall. According to one of his pupils, Richer, Gerbert was able to perform calculations on his abacus with great speed, including calculations his contemporaries struggled to do in their head using roman numerals. Due to this reintroduction the abacus spread around, and became widely used across 11th century Europe.
Gerbert also reintroduced a device that had been lost to Europe since the end of the Greco-Roman period. The Armillary Sphere. Preserved by the Islamic Civilisations, Armillary Spheres are models of objects in the sky consisting of spherical framework of rings centred around either the Earth of Sun. For an idea of what they look like, see below.
In 969 Borrell II made a pilgrimage to Rome, taking Gerbert with him. While in Rome, Gerbert met Pope John XIII and Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor. At the persuasion of the Pope, Otto I hired Gerbert as a tutor to his son, Otto II. This tutelage lasted approximately four years, until he as given leave to study in the Cathedral School of Rheims.
In 973 Archbishop Adalberon appointed him as a teacher at Rheims. Apart from a period of two years (981-983) where he was head of the Monastery of Bobbio, he remained in Rheims until 989. However at the death of Otto II, he became involved with the politics of his time.
In 985 King Lothair of France tried to take the land of Lorraine from Holy Roman Emporer Otto III. Gerbert would support Hugh Capet, in defiance of the King at the time. In this he was supported by Archbishop Adalberon and Hugh Capet would go on to win the conflict, becoming King of France, ending the Carolingian line of Kings.
When Archbishop Adalberon died in 989, Gerbert was his obvious successor. However he was overlooked by King Hugh Capet, perhaps for political reasons, as he appointed Arnulf, an illegitimate son of his former rival Lothair instead. However, Hugh Capet would go on to appoint Gerbert as Archbishop in 991, after Arnulf was accused of treason.
There was plenty of opposition to Gerberts elevation. Pope John XV would send e legate who temporarily suspended Gerbert from all episcopal office. This was supported by a Synod in 995 that declared Arnulf’s deposition as being invalid. This would matter little to Gerbert, who went back to being a teacher for Otto III. It would matter even less when Pope John XV died in 996, and Pope Gregory V ascended to the papacy. In 998, Gerbert would be appointed Archbishop of Ravenna.
In 999 Pope Gregory V would die. Supported by the Holy Roman Emperor, Otto III Gerbert would be elected to the papacy. He took the name Sylvester II, after Sylvester I who had been pope 314-335. Perhaps in a move to reconcile and let bygones be bygones, he would confirm the position of his rival Arnulf as Archbishop of Rheims.
Sylvester II papacy could be marked by two events. An effort to clean up the church, and an exile from Rome. As Pope, Sylvester II took measures against the selling of church offices and artefacts. He also took measures against the use of concubines among the clergy, especially Bishops. He said only capable men of spotless lives should become Bishops.
However, Sylvester II and Otto III were forced to flee Rome in 1001 from the Roman populace. Taking refuge in Ravenna, Sylvester would continue his papacy while Otto III would attempt to regain control of Rome. He would make three attempts in total, dying the in the third attempt in 1002 at the age of twenty-one from a sudden fever.
Sylvester II would return to Rome, though the Roman nobility would remain in charge. Approximately a year later on the 12th May, 1003 Pope Sylvester II would die in Rome at approximately 57 years old. He would go on to be burred in St John Lateran. The 139th Pope noted scientist of his day, and the first Frenchman to become Pope, Pope Sylvester II was an extremely intelligent man, who helped bring along advancements in Latin Europe.
