Who he was
Adrian was born to a humble family in Utrecht, schooled by the Brothers of the Common Life at Zwolle and at Louvain, where he became a respected professor of theology, dean of St Peter's and vice-chancellor of the university. In 1506 Emperor Maximilian chose him as tutor to his grandson, the future Charles V. He went on to become Bishop of Tortosa, Grand Inquisitor in Spain, a cardinal and Regent of Spain, and he was elected pope unanimously in January 1522 without ever having seen Italy. He kept his own baptismal name as pope.
What he is remembered for
A man of deep piety and simple life, he set out to reform the Roman Curia, cut back its spending, and openly admitted the faults of the Church's leaders in the face of the Protestant revolt. He tried in vain to unite Christian princes to save Rhodes from the Turks. He died in September 1523, after only twenty months, and is buried in Santa Maria dell'Anima in Rome; he is the only pope from the Netherlands.
Sources
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