Pope Gelasius II was born with the given name of Giovanni Coniulo in the year A.D., and died in A.D. He began his reign as Pope in the year 1118 A.D. and ended his reign in the year 1119 A.D., during the High Middle Ages. Gelasius II was from Gaeta, and his papal number is: 161 out of 267 officially recognized Roman Catholic Popes.

Summary: Pope driven into exile during the final phase of the investiture conflict.

Gelasius II was elected amid fierce opposition from imperial forces still resisting the freedom of the papacy. His pontificate was brief and marked by flight, pressure, and exile, revealing how dangerous the office remained in the unresolved conflict between pope and emperor.

Even under such conditions, he refused to surrender the core claims of the reform movement. His constancy helped preserve the line of legitimate succession through hardship.

Gelasius II stands as a suffering pope of the investiture age, faithful in defeat and significant through endurance.