Birthplace
Rome
Pope from
19 December 1187
Pope until
27 March 1191
Died
27 March 1191
Who he was
Paolo Scolari, Cardinal-Bishop of Palestrina, was elected two days after Gregory VIII's death. As the first Roman to become pope since the city's revolt in the days of Arnold of Brescia, he was able to make a treaty with the Romans that brought the papacy back to Rome in February 1188.
What he is remembered for
He organised the Third Crusade, sending legates to reconcile the kings of Europe so that they could go east together. He placed the Church in Scotland directly under the Holy See, freeing it from the authority of York, and gave the crown of Sicily to Tancred against the claim of Henry VI. He canonised St Otto of Bamberg.
Sources
All popes · Home · All saints