Popes and Kings

Pope Gregory VII

Key figure in the Investiture Controversy (1073-1085).

Pope Urban II

Initiated the First Crusade at Clermont-Ferrand in 1095 (1088-1099).

Pope Innocent III

Powerful pope involved in crusades and helping the poor; established inquisitors to combat heresy (1198-1216).

Pope Gregory IX

Fought with Frederick II and established the papal inquisition (1227-1241).

Pope Boniface VIII

Engaged in a dispute with Philip IV of France, leading to his death after being arrested (1294-1303).

Pope Clement V

First pope during the Avignon Papacy, known for the Babylonian Captivity of the papacy (1305-1314).

Pope Urban VI

Roman pope during the Great Schism (1378-1389).

Pope Clement VII

French pope during the Great Schism (1378-1394).

Pope Martin V

Elected at the Council of Constance to end the Great Schism (1417-1431).

Pope Innocent IV

Opposed Frederick II, participating in the struggle between papal and imperial powers (1243-1254).

Pope Leo III

Crowned Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor in 800 (795-816).

Pope Calixtus II

Involved in the Concordat of Worms, resolving the Investiture Controversy (1119-1124).

Emperor Diocletian

Split the Roman Empire and created the Tetrarchy system (284-305).

Emperor Constantine

Christianized the Roman Empire and founded Constantinople (306-337).

Emperor Theodosius I

Made Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire with the Edict of Thessalonica (379-395).

Emperor Romulus Augustulus

Last emperor of the Western Roman Empire (475-476).

King Clovis

First Catholic king of the Franks, established the Merovingian Dynasty (466-511).

Charles Martel

Defeated the Islamic forces at the Battle of Tours in 732 (Mayor of the Palace).

Charlemagne

Crowned as the first Holy Roman Emperor in 800 by Pope Leo III (768-814).

Emperor Henry IV

Involved in the Investiture Controversy with Pope Gregory VII (1056-1105).

King Philip IV of France

Arrested Pope Boniface VIII and initiated the Babylonian Captivity (1285-1314).

Emperor Henry V

Signed the Concordat of Worms with Pope Calixtus II (1111-1125).

Frederick I Barbarossa

Holy Roman Emperor who sought to consolidate imperial authority (1155-1190).

Frederick II

Holy Roman Emperor known for intellectual pursuits, legal codification, and opposition to the papacy (1194-1250).

William the Conqueror

Norman king who conquered England in 1066 (1066-1087).

King John of England

Signed the Magna Carta in 1215 (1199-1216).

King Louis IX of France

Known as Saint Louis, he initiated legal reforms and crusades (1226-1270).

Henry VII of England

Stabilized the English crown after the Wars of the Roses (1485-1509).

King Henry VIII of England

Broke from the Catholic Church, leading to the formation of the Church of England (1509-1547).

King Philip II of Spain

Consolidated Spanish power and expanded the Spanish Empire (1556-1598).