From the town of Belluno, he was born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari on September 18, 1765 to a family of the Italian nobility. As a young man he became a Camaldolese monk, eventually rising to be vicar-general of the order. He was elected to the Throne of St Peter on February 2, 1831 at the age of 65 and remains the last monk to become Pope. Perhaps because of this background, Gregory XVI reigned with an attitude of simplicity, loyalty and hard work. Although the 19th Century is often regarded as an era where conservatism reigned, there was a strong movement already underfoot, inspired by the late French Revolution to destroy the entire traditional structure of Europe, and by extension the world. As always, God had placed just the right man on the papal throne to deal with this.
Confronting and combating this revolutionary movement was the major problem of Gregory's reign and he met the challenge with great courage, starting in his own dominions. The Papal States, infected to some degree by foreign influences, were hit by revolution, which the Pope succeeded in stopping with the help of the Emperor of Austria, coming to a final end in 1838. Gregory XVI was also quite vocal in his opposition to the rise of anti-clericalism, even in Catholic countries such as Spain, Portugal and Switzerland. He also vigorously confronted the Protestant power of Prussia on the issue of marriages between Catholics and Protestants, firmly upholding the ruling of Pope Pius VIII on that particular subject.
Gregory XVI was, though it is often forgotten, a tolerant man who appreciated true freedom, which is that which comes from Christ, and the importance of learning in advancing human civilization. He would always warn before he would punish. Nevertheless, it was the rise of revolutionary activity which seemed to always come to the front of his papacy. In this, he was strict about defending legitimate government, even when they were not Catholic. Some obvious examples of this were his words to the rebelling Poles, advising them to be loyal to the Tsar of Russia as well as his opposition to Irish efforts to repeal the Act of Union, stressing that Ireland was a legitimate possession of Britain. He also famously banned the building of railroads into the Papal States and any kind of innovation he considered to be harmful to the spiritual welfare of his flock.
However, modern secular historians are wrong to consider Gregory XVI a harsh or oppressive figure just because he preached loyalty rather than rebellion. In fact it was this so-called "conservative and reactionary" pontiff which first condemned slavery in 1839 and who established new hierarchies and expanded existing ones in Canada, the United States and emerging nations in Latin America. He also brought renewal to the declining state of missionary activity in the Church. He put the missions under papal control and authorized the use of native clergy to convert their lands alongside the priests from Europe and America. He also encouraged education and in particular new archaeological research in Italy.
After reigning for 15 years, 3 months and 27 days Pope Gregory XVI died on June 1, 1846. While he was very popular with traditionalists and such contemporary conservatives as the Austrian Prince Klemens von Metternich, Gregory XVI has too often been attacked as a reactionary for his policies. However, given the trials which his successor, Pope Pius IX was forced to endure, we can see by the light of history that Pope Gregory XVI was absolutely right in his teachings and had his wishes been followed more universally, Europe and the world would have been saved a great deal of trouble and hardship in the future.