Birthplace
central Italy
Pope from
13 August 1099
Pope until
21 January 1118
Died
21 January 1118
Who he was
Rainerius became a monk of Cluny as a boy and was kept in Rome by Gregory VII, who made him Cardinal-Priest of San Clemente. The cardinals chose him unanimously in 1099 despite his protests, and he reigned for more than eighteen years.
What he is remembered for
His reign was dominated by the dispute over investiture with Henry IV and Henry V. In 1111 Henry V took him prisoner and forced from him the right of investiture, a concession that caused uproar and which Paschal himself admitted was a weakness. He approved the new orders of Cîteaux and Fontevrault, kept the crusading spirit alive, and was held in reverence by St Anselm of Canterbury.
Sources
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