Reigned from 996 to 999. Born c.970in Carinthia as Bruno; died Rome, Italy. The first German pope. Crown Otto III as Holy Roman Emperor. When Otto left Rome, Gregory was expelled by a man he had befriended, Crescentius Numentanus, who named an antipope, John Philagathus; the latter was degraded and exiled to Germany, while Crescentius was hanged. In the dispute between Arnulf and Gerbert concerning the See of Rheims, Gregory upheld the former, but subsequently appointed Gerbert to Ravenna.