Gregory I

4. Gregory I — The Great (590–604)

The Pivotal Pontificate — Architect of Papal Independence

• Description: Gregory I is the central figure of the Lombard era papacy. He reorganized the Patrimonium Petri into an independent fiscal base, negotiated unauthorized separate truces with Lombard dukes Ariulf of Spoleto (592) and King Agilulf (593, 598–599), and conducted himself as a quasi-sovereign power between the Lombards and Byzantium. His Registrum Epistularum (14 books, ~850 letters) is the primary documentary record of this era. See the dedicated Gregory I timeline for full treatment.
• Source: Gregory I, Registrum Epistularum — https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3602.htm; Encyclopaedia Britannica — https://www.britannica.com/biography/St-Gregory-the-Great