GREGORY VIII  . (Alberto de Mora), pope from the 21st of October to the 17th of December 1187, a native of Benevento and Praemonstratensian monk, successively abbot of St Martin at Laon, cardinal-deacon of San' Adriano al foro, cardinal-priest of San Lorenzo in Lucina, and chancellor of the Roman Church, was elected to succeed Urban III . Of amiable disposition, he hastened to make peace with Henry VI. and promised not to oppose the latter's claim to Sicily . He addressed general letters both to the bishops, reminding them of their duties to the Roman Church, especially of their required visits ad limina, and to the whole Christian people, urging a new crusade to recover Jerusalem . He died at Pisa while engaged in, making peace between the Pisans and Genoese in order to secure the help of both cities in the crusade . His successor was Clement III . His letters are in J . P . Migne, Patrol . Lat. vol . 202 . Consult also J .

M . Watterich, Pontif . Roman. vitae, vol . 2 (

Leipzig, 1862), and 'Jaffe-Wattenbach, Regesta ponl f . Roman . (1885–1888) . See J . Langen, Geschichte der romischen Kirche von Gregor VII. bis Innocenz III . (Bonn, 1893) ; P . Nadig, Gregors VIII . Sgtdgiges Pontifikat (Basel, 1890) ; P . Scheffer-Boichorst, Friedrichs I. letzter Streit mil der Kurie (Berlin, 1866) ; F .

Gregorovius, Rome in the Middle Ages, vol . 4, trans. by Mrs G . W . Hamilton (London, 1896) .