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Abstract
Although one early twentieth-century author and two Victorian authors have left biographies of Pope Adrian IV, no comprehensive critical study of Pope Adrian IV or his papacy has been attempted since those works. This study places Adrian in the context of the twelfth century papacy and determines what unique contributions he brought to the office.
By separately analyzing the early pre-papal life of Adrian as well as his reform agenda within the Roman church itself, his entanglements with the political powers of the day, and his interaction with the Roman clergy, a consistent pattern in Adrian's policies may be discerned. This pattern indicates two things innovative to the papacy of his day. First, before any important policy decision, judgment, or confirmation of rights and privileges, he always consulted with his college of cardinals. Second, when confirming privileges and judgments he demonstrated a marked tendency to cite an extended number of his papal predecessors' confirmations of the same, thereby revealing the use and presence of a well-ordered papal archive as well as strengthening the position of the Bishop of Rome as the supreme authority in the Western church.
