Gerbert of Aurillac reigns as Sylvester II

1000

The Frankish monk who had studied mathematics with Muslim teachers in Catalonia sat on Peter's throne at the turn of the millennium. He reintroduced the abacus and Arabic numerals to Latin Europe, and rumor whispered that he had learned his science from the devil himself. His pontificate bridged the intellectual worlds of Islam and Christendom at a time when few scholars dared cross that divide.