GREGORY XV  . (Alessandro Ludovisi) was born on the 9th of January 1554, in Bologna, where he also studied and taught . He was made archbishop of his native place and cardinal by Paul V., whom he succeeded as pope on the 9th of February 162r . Despite his age and feebleness, Gregory displayed remarkable energy . He aided the emperor in the Thirty Years' War, and the king of -Poland against the Turks . He endorsed the claims of Maximilian of Bavaria to the electoral dignity, and was rewarded with the gift of the Heidelberg library, which was carried off to Rome . Gregory founded the Congregation of the Propaganda, encouraged missions, fixed the order to be observed in conclaves, and canonized Ignatius Loyola, Francis Xavier, Philip Neri and Theresa de Jesus . He died on the 8th of July 1623, and was succeeded by Urban VIII . See the contemporary life by Vitorelli, continuator of Ciaconius, Vitae et res gestae summorum pontiff . Rom . ; Ranke's excellent account, Popes (Eng. trans., Austin), ii . 468 seq .

; v .

Reumont, Gesch. der Stadt Rom, iii . 2, 609 seq . ; Brosch, Gesch. des Kirchenstaates (1880), i . 370 seq . ; and the extended bibliography in Herzog-Hauck, Realencyklopadie, s.v . " Gregor XV." (T . F .