
Pope Adrian IV (1100-1 September 1159), born Nicholas Breakspear, was Pope from 1154 to 1159, succeeding Pope Anastasius IV and preceding Pope Alexander III.
Biography[]
Nicholas Breakspear was born in Bedmond, Hertfordshire, Kingdom of England in 1100. In 1154, he became the first English pope, and he was happy when Emperor Manuel I of Byzantium invaded southern Italy and attacked the Normans, allying with him. He also ordered Henry II of England to invade Ireland to spread Catholicism there, and Henry did so, adding the island to the Angevin Empire, his homeland. He died in 1159.