Hadrian IV - the English pope (1154-59)
Nicholas Breakspear, the son of a clerk, was born and brought up at Abbot's Langley, near St Albans.
He became a monk at his local abbey, before moving to Avignon in France, where he eventually became an abbot.
In 1154 he was elected pope, becoming the first pontiff to be commonly known by the title "Vicar of Christ".
He is reputed to have sent a letter to King Henry II of England, encouraging him to invade Ireland.
Hadrian IV died in 1159. According to one account, a fly entered his mouth and got stuck in his throat, with fatal results.
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