Nicholas Breakspear, the English Pope by Adrian Waddingham

Conferences – English Catholic History Association

Nicholas Breakspear was elected pope in 1154, but his story started long before that. The son of a local churchman near St Albans, he would battle his way across Europe to defend and develop Christianity, facing war in Scandinavia and the Moors in the Iberian Peninsula. But it was after he took the throne of St Peter as Adrian IV that he would face his greatest threat: Frederick Barbarossa, who was determined to restore the Holy Roman Empire to its former greatness.

In this talk, given recently at our Annual General Meeting, Adrian Waddingham opens the archives to tell the story of a man who rose from humble beginnings to glorious power – and yet has been all but forgotten ever since. You can listen to our talk below or in our podcast. If you would like to know more, Adrian’s book on this subject is available via many online outlets.

Click here to go to our free Podcast where you can listen to this talk and many others given at our conferences in recent years