Pope Adrian IV, born Nicholas Breakspear around 1100 in Hertfordshire, England, was the only English pope in history (1154–1159). Born to a commoner family at Abbots Langley, he went to France to study and pursued a distinguished ecclesiastical career, eventually becoming Cardinal Bishop of Albano. He served during a difficult period, with Italy and Rome under threat from local barons and imperial conflict. He is credited with bringing the papacy beyond its traditional Mediterranean (French/Italian) boundaries to international influence, although his papacy lasted only five years. Adrian IV died on 1 September 1159 in Anagni.