# Hadrian VII — Hadrian the Seventh character guide > Hadrian VII in Hadrian the Seventh by Frederick Rolfe. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Hadrian, Hadrian the Seventh, Hadrian I, IX Hadrian, Rose alias Hadrian, XV Hadrian **First appearance:** 0002-hadrian-the-seventh ## Snapshot An obscure English castaway elected Pope against every expectation, he rules with apostolic simplicity and unnerving moral clarity. ## Who they are Hadrian VII enters the papacy as an outsider whose plain white garb and frank, genial bearing unsettle the ceremonial grandeur of emperors and cardinals alike. His defining tension is between the humility of his origins and the absolute authority now placed in his hands, a paradox he resolves by treating power as a form of service rather than spectacle. In the novel's early-middle arc, his refusal to play the expected political game — his insistence that the Father must go to the son, that mercy be shown even to a boastful emperor — establishes him as a pontiff whose sanctity is inseparable from his stubbornness. ## In the story ### [Hadrian the Seventh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/hadrian-the-seventh) Elected Pope after being overlooked and marginalized; immediately begins enacting radical reforms. ### [Prooimion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/prooimion) Referenced indirectly through the mysterious events in Rome; not directly present in the chapter. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/iii) Newly elected Pope, insists on opening the outer balcony to bless the city and the world, showing inflexible resolve. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/iv) Acts decisively as Pope, dictating summonses, processing alone through Rome, and announcing his coronation. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/v) Resting after the conclave, planning a retreat to Castel Gandolfo, rearranging the household for simplicity, and examining the papal safe. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/vi) Criticizes the worldly clergy and interrogates Cardinal Courtfield about his election. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/vii) Renounces temporal sovereignty, comforts Cardinal Nefski, writes to Edward Lancaster, and receives English visitors. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/viii) Engages in self-analytical games, summons cardinals to discuss renouncing temporal power, displays wit and autocratic dogmatism, remains psychically detached, and confronts Ragna's implied threat of an Oecumenical Council. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/ix) Reflects on his role, addresses the French crisis, commissions a crucifix, and gains international attention. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/x) Issues the 'Epistle to the English,' praises the English race, addresses Catholic defects, ordains married Anglican clergy rules, and decides on the matter of Mary Queen of Scots. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/xi) The Pope shows compassion to a struggling painter, experiences a transformative moment of love, and engages in diplomatic and personal reflections. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/xii) Seen giving charity, visiting a private house incognito, and returning to the Vatican. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/xiii) Walks with Cardinal Semphill, visits the English Ambassador, receives the Kaiser, and retreats to write and contemplate. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/xiv) Sorts and responds to pontifical mail, receives generals of religious orders, and confronts the Jesuit General. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/xv) Visits St. Andrew's College, interacts with students and staff, recalls his own unhappy student days, and offers comfort and guidance. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/xvi) Struggles with guilt over his harshness, confesses his sin of anger, and later reads a libelous article about himself, resolving not to abdicate. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/xvii) Summons cardinals, announces dispersal of Vatican treasures, gifts art to Rome, canonizes Dom Bosco and Dante, publishes epistle. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/xviii) Struggles with despair and isolation, reads the Catholic Hour attack, reveals his knowledge of the letter writers, and resolves to serve England. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/xix) Refuses to pay blackmail, offers Sant a chance to reform, and dismisses the cardinals' concerns with disdain. ### [XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/xx) Presides over the consistory, refutes calumnies by revealing della Volta as His double, and announces the Windsor arbitration invitation. ### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/xxi) Issues the 'Epistle to the Princes,' appoints Talacryn to Pimlico, consults with cardinals, and works tirelessly on the reorganization of Europe. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/xxii) Experiences psychical disturbance, lethargy, and panic; later defends himself against calumnies, recounting his past hardships. ### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/xxiii) Reflects on his own arguments, exercises, bathes, changes clothes, then privately counsels Sir Iulo about marriage and photography. ### [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/chapters/xxiv) Celebrates the anniversary of His pontificate, receives sovereigns, walks with the Northern Emperor, is shot by Jerry Sant, forgives him, and dies after giving the Apostolic Benediction. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/characters/hadrian - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hadrian_the_seventh_se/characters