Ninth century: Twenty Popes
97. Stephen IV, 816-817. First Pope since the establishment of the Empire of Charlemagne. Met Charlemagne's successor, Louis the Pious (814 - 840 A.D.) at Rheims in October 816. During the Mass, the Pope anointed the Emperor (the first time such an anointing had taken place) and crowned Louis and his wife Queen Ermingard. Stephen IV succeeded in obtaining the forgiveness of the Emperor for the aristocrats who had conspired against Pope Leo II and whom Charlemagne had banished to Gaul in 800. The Pope died three months later. Roman aristocrat.
98. St Paschal I, 817-824. Good relations continued with the Frankish Emperors, who honoured their pledge to protect the Holy See. When Archbishop Ebbo of Rheims (775-851 A.D.) went to Rome in 822 - having been chosen to evangelise the people of Denmark - the Pope not only blessed his mission, along with that of Halitgar of Cambrai (died 830 A.D.) but appointed him Papal Legate for the Northern countries. When Louis' son Lothair went to Rome in 823 the Pope anointed him in a special Mass on Easter Sunday, and presented him with a sword as a symbolic gesture, representing his power to suppress evil. The young Emperor turned against the Pope and attempted to interfere in affairs - which roused anti-Frankish feeling in Rome. Roman.
99. Eugene II, 824-827. While initially very deferential to the Emperor, Eugene asserted Papal independence of the Frankish court by issuing decrees condemning simony (obtaining ecclesiastical offices through payment of money) regulating the appointment of Bishops, education of priests, Sunday Mass attendance, Christian marriage etc. When the question of reverence for images again flared up in the east the Pope reasserted the decision of the Second Council of Nicaea (787 A.D.) When with the Pope's permission Louis summoned a Council in Paris of Frankish theologians to examine the issue of images, and the Council condemned images, the Pope refused to budge from the traditional Catholic position. The Emperor eventually left the decision to Eugene. The Pope provided great support to Theodore of Studios (759-826 A.D.) the leader of the Catholic party in the East, who offered the traditional respect to images. The Pope also welcomed refugees fleeing persecution on account of the ban on images in Constantinople. In 826 he commended the mission of Anskar (801-865 A.D.) and his companions working in Denmark for the conversion of the Danes, to the whole of the Catholic world. Roman.
100. Valentine, August-September 827. Pious and very popular among the clergy and people of Rome, Valentine died after only forty days in the See of Peter. Roman aristocrat.
101. Gregory IV, 827-844. During his reign dynastic struggles between Emperor Louis and his two sons Lothair, Pepin, and Louis the German gave the Pope breathing space. When the brothers rebelled against their father, Gregory supported Lothair and went to France in an effort to promote peace. When the armies faced each other in the Summer of 833 A.D. at Rotfield near Colmar, the brothers persuaded the Pope to go to Louis' camp to get him to negotiate. Returning with what he considered to be reasonable terms for negotiation, the Pope found that he had been betrayed by Lothair, and most of Louis' army deserted him. The Pope returned disillusioned to Rome from the 'field of lies'. During his Pontificate, the Muslims, in Sicily since 827 A.D. were a constant threat to Italy and Europe. To offset this threat the Pope built a strong castle at Ostia. In 831 A.D. he received Anskar, and bestowed the pallium on him as Archbishop of Hamburg, naming him Papal Legate to Scandinavia and the Slav countries. In 835 A.D. Louis extended All Saints Day throughout his kingdom at the Pope's suggestion. Roman aristocrat.
102. Sergius II, 844-847. After the death of Gregory the Roman populace intervened and declared the deacon John as Pope and seized the Lateran Palace. Sergius, elderly and sick was elected, and his election was later ratified by a Synod of Italian bishops. Lothair I angrily reacted when the Papal election was not notified to the Frankish court, and he sent an army that was dominated by his unscrupulous brother Benedict who by bribery got himself appointed imperial representative in Rome. To compound these problems, the Muslims landed in force at Ostia and plundered St Peters and St Paul's Outside the Walls (both were outside the Aurelian walls). The Pope died suddenly while attempting to mediate a dispute between Patriarchs Venerius of Grado and Andrew of Aquileia. Roman aristocrat.
103. St Leo IV, 847-855. His main task was the defence of Rome against the Muslims and the repair of damage they inflicted in 846. He strengthened all the walls, and revived plans of Leo III by building a wall around St Peters and bringing it within the defensive system of the rest of the city. The new defences were solemnly blessed on June 27, 852 A.D. He then organized the fleets of Naples, Amalfi and Gaeta and defeated the Muslims in a sea-battle outside Ostia in 849 A.D. He refused to bow to Imperial pressure, affirmed Catholic traditions, denounced simony and promoted music in the Church. He established the feast of the Octave of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. In 853 he anointed Alfred (849-899 A.D.) then a small boy living in England, as future king of England. Lombard.
104. Benedict III, 855-858. A man of great learning and piety, much loved by all. The first choice of all was Hadrian, but he refused, and after Benedict was elected, the Emperor's men tried to foist an anti-Pope on Rome, Anastasius. The people reacted angrily to this and Benedict was consecrated. He took a strong line towards the Frankish and eastern Empires. Aethelwulf king of Wessex and his son Alfred remained in Rome as pilgrims during the first year of Benedict's reign. They not only spent a lot of money repairing the Saxon compound in the city but made generous gifts to the Churches of Rome and to the Roman people (at the Pope's request); and promised regular annual contributions from England to the Holy See - called 'Peter's pence'. Roman.
105. St Nicholas I, 858-867. One of the greatest defenders of the Holy See against Imperial interference. Uncompromising in the defence of the sanctity of marriage, he intervened when Theutberga of Lorraine was repudiated on a false charge of incest by her husband Lothair II. When the Papal Legates at Metz accepted bribes to ratify Lothair's new marriage to his mistress Waldrada, the Pope excommunicated the two Archbishops who brought him the news, and even when the Emperor invaded Rome and the Pope had to flee St Peter's he would not agree to the divorce. Eventually Lothair was obliged to submit, as were the two Archbishops of Cologne and Trier. Nicholas asserted Rome's jurisdiction over the east and excommunicated Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople in 863 A.D. Roman.
106. Hadrian II, 867-872. He was so highly regarded because of his charitableness that he was twice selected as Pope in 855 and 858 but refused. Elderly when elected, he lacked the vigour and brilliance of Leo IV or Nicholas I. During his reign, the Fourth Council of Constantinople was held supporting his predecessor's excommunication of Photius, by placing the Patriarchates in the following order: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem. This was never acceptable to Rome, which insisted that Alexandria come before Constantinople, as the latter was not an Apostolic See. Sts Cyril and Methodius apostles of the Slavic peoples visited Rome in 867-868 and the Pope approved the use of Old Slavonic in the Liturgy. He also consecrated St Methodius as Archbishop of Sirmium (Sremska Mitrovica in Yugoslavia) and appointed him Papal legate to the Slavs. Roman aristocrat.
107. John VIII, 872-882. He worked to defend Italy from the Muslim invaders - but his efforts were frustrated by the collusion of the southern states with the enemy. He worked hard to maintain the Holy See's independence of the Empire; and he sought reconciliation with Constantinople in order to present a united front to the Muslim menace. He was a forceful supporter of the indissolubility of marriage and he championed Methodius when he clashed with the German clergy and was imprisoned. In 880, when the saint was summoned to Rome to explain his teaching, the Pope completely vindicated him and ratified the permission of Hadrian II to use Old Slavonic in the Mass. John VIII was murdered by enemies on December 16, 882. Roman.
108. Marinus I, 882-884. Bishop of Cerveteri, in Etruria, about 40 km NW of Rome, he was the first Bishop of another see to be elected Pope. He maintained good relations with Emperor Charles III, and with Photius in Constantinople, and was a good friend to Alfred, now King of England. Out of respect for him the Pope exempted the English quarter of Rome from taxes.Tuscan.
109. St Hadrian III, 884-885. This pope continued the policies of John VIII and adopted a conciliatory approach to the Patriarch of Constantinople. He died unexpectedly while traveling to Worms to settle a dispute over succession for Emperor Charles III. Roman.
110. Stephen V, 885-891. A well-respected priest he was a popular choice. In 886 A.D. he asked the help of Charles III against the Muslims but the latter had to recross the Alps to attend the troubles in France. When Charles died two years later, the empire of Charlemagne finally fell apart; it had lasted only 88 years. The Pope maintained good relations with Constantinople and the two worked to confront the Muslim menace of Europe. He fell victims to intrigues he could not understand when Saint Methodius, apostle of the Slavs died. He had designated his successor as Goradz - but this appointment was opposed by the German clergy. Influenced by the Germans, the Pope appointed the appointment of Bishop Wiching of Nitra, a follower of Methodius who was not in favour of the Slavonic liturgy. As a result of this, the other followers of Methodius fled to Bulgaria where the foundations were laid of a Slavonic speaking Church that would later on become the Russian Orthodox Church which would not look to the apostolic See of Rome, but the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Roman.
111. Formosus, 891-896. A controversial Pope, highly gifted and of exemplary personal life, he was elected Pope as an elderly man. He strengthened the Catholic Church in England, and in Germany, and continued the policy of good relations with Constantinople. He incurred the animosity of Lambert of Spoleto by crowning Arnulf king of the east Franks as Emperor. Roman.
112. Boniface VI, April 896. He seems to be chosen by the unruly populace in opposition to the German Emperor. A very sick person he died 15 days after his election, and was buried in the portico of the Popes in St Peter's Basilica.
113. Stephen VI, 896-897. The first of what have become known as the 'bad Popes'. A weak person, he allowed himself to pressured by Lambert of Spoleto, and Queen Ageltrude whose hatred of the dead Pope Formosus knew no bounds. At a mock trial, the king with Stephen's approval had the Pope's body disinterred clad in papal vestments and charged with moving Bishops from one See to another, and being ambitious for the Papacy. The dead Pope was found guilty, and his body flung in the Tiber. A hermit took it from the river, and reinterred it. Supporters of the dead Pope were so outraged by this craven act that they rebelled, and threw Stephen into gaol where he was strangled. Roman.
114. Romanus. August-November 897. Little is known of his short reign of four months. He gave the pallium to Vitalis, Patriarch of Grado. From Gallese.
115. Theodore II, November 897. A peace-loving priest, he reigned only twenty days. He held a Synod that annulled the scandalous findings of the synod of January 897 that found Pope Formosus guilty. He also arranged for the body of the dead Pope to be honoured and buried with as much ceremony as possible in St Peter's. Roman.
116. John IX, 898-900. He also annulled the infamous synod of Stephen, and pardoned those who had taken part in it after they pleaded that they had done so under duress. He also forbade in perpetuity the trial of dead persons. Lambert of Spoleto, under the influence of John IX renewed the ancient privileges of the Roman See, and guaranteed its territorial integrity. The hopes held out for peace were dashed when the young Emperor died in a hunting accident on October 5, 898. The Pope worked hard to reconcile the various factions tearing Constantinople apart, and attempted to restore order in Moravia which, by 906, would collapse under the Magyar invaders. From Tivoli.
97. Stephen IV, 816-817. First Pope since the establishment of the Empire of Charlemagne. Met Charlemagne's successor, Louis the Pious (814 - 840 A.D.) at Rheims in October 816. During the Mass, the Pope anointed the Emperor (the first time such an anointing had taken place) and crowned Louis and his wife Queen Ermingard. Stephen IV succeeded in obtaining the forgiveness of the Emperor for the aristocrats who had conspired against Pope Leo II and whom Charlemagne had banished to Gaul in 800. The Pope died three months later. Roman aristocrat.
98. St Paschal I, 817-824. Good relations continued with the Frankish Emperors, who honoured their pledge to protect the Holy See. When Archbishop Ebbo of Rheims (775-851 A.D.) went to Rome in 822 - having been chosen to evangelise the people of Denmark - the Pope not only blessed his mission, along with that of Halitgar of Cambrai (died 830 A.D.) but appointed him Papal Legate for the Northern countries. When Louis' son Lothair went to Rome in 823 the Pope anointed him in a special Mass on Easter Sunday, and presented him with a sword as a symbolic gesture, representing his power to suppress evil. The young Emperor turned against the Pope and attempted to interfere in affairs - which roused anti-Frankish feeling in Rome. Roman.
99. Eugene II, 824-827. While initially very deferential to the Emperor, Eugene asserted Papal independence of the Frankish court by issuing decrees condemning simony (obtaining ecclesiastical offices through payment of money) regulating the appointment of Bishops, education of priests, Sunday Mass attendance, Christian marriage etc. When the question of reverence for images again flared up in the east the Pope reasserted the decision of the Second Council of Nicaea (787 A.D.) When with the Pope's permission Louis summoned a Council in Paris of Frankish theologians to examine the issue of images, and the Council condemned images, the Pope refused to budge from the traditional Catholic position. The Emperor eventually left the decision to Eugene. The Pope provided great support to Theodore of Studios (759-826 A.D.) the leader of the Catholic party in the East, who offered the traditional respect to images. The Pope also welcomed refugees fleeing persecution on account of the ban on images in Constantinople. In 826 he commended the mission of Anskar (801-865 A.D.) and his companions working in Denmark for the conversion of the Danes, to the whole of the Catholic world. Roman.
100. Valentine, August-September 827. Pious and very popular among the clergy and people of Rome, Valentine died after only forty days in the See of Peter. Roman aristocrat.
101. Gregory IV, 827-844. During his reign dynastic struggles between Emperor Louis and his two sons Lothair, Pepin, and Louis the German gave the Pope breathing space. When the brothers rebelled against their father, Gregory supported Lothair and went to France in an effort to promote peace. When the armies faced each other in the Summer of 833 A.D. at Rotfield near Colmar, the brothers persuaded the Pope to go to Louis' camp to get him to negotiate. Returning with what he considered to be reasonable terms for negotiation, the Pope found that he had been betrayed by Lothair, and most of Louis' army deserted him. The Pope returned disillusioned to Rome from the 'field of lies'. During his Pontificate, the Muslims, in Sicily since 827 A.D. were a constant threat to Italy and Europe. To offset this threat the Pope built a strong castle at Ostia. In 831 A.D. he received Anskar, and bestowed the pallium on him as Archbishop of Hamburg, naming him Papal Legate to Scandinavia and the Slav countries. In 835 A.D. Louis extended All Saints Day throughout his kingdom at the Pope's suggestion. Roman aristocrat.
The Papacy is the oldest uninterrupted institution in the world, spanning 2,000 years.
102. Sergius II, 844-847. After the death of Gregory the Roman populace intervened and declared the deacon John as Pope and seized the Lateran Palace. Sergius, elderly and sick was elected, and his election was later ratified by a Synod of Italian bishops. Lothair I angrily reacted when the Papal election was not notified to the Frankish court, and he sent an army that was dominated by his unscrupulous brother Benedict who by bribery got himself appointed imperial representative in Rome. To compound these problems, the Muslims landed in force at Ostia and plundered St Peters and St Paul's Outside the Walls (both were outside the Aurelian walls). The Pope died suddenly while attempting to mediate a dispute between Patriarchs Venerius of Grado and Andrew of Aquileia. Roman aristocrat.
103. St Leo IV, 847-855. His main task was the defence of Rome against the Muslims and the repair of damage they inflicted in 846. He strengthened all the walls, and revived plans of Leo III by building a wall around St Peters and bringing it within the defensive system of the rest of the city. The new defences were solemnly blessed on June 27, 852 A.D. He then organized the fleets of Naples, Amalfi and Gaeta and defeated the Muslims in a sea-battle outside Ostia in 849 A.D. He refused to bow to Imperial pressure, affirmed Catholic traditions, denounced simony and promoted music in the Church. He established the feast of the Octave of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. In 853 he anointed Alfred (849-899 A.D.) then a small boy living in England, as future king of England. Lombard.
104. Benedict III, 855-858. A man of great learning and piety, much loved by all. The first choice of all was Hadrian, but he refused, and after Benedict was elected, the Emperor's men tried to foist an anti-Pope on Rome, Anastasius. The people reacted angrily to this and Benedict was consecrated. He took a strong line towards the Frankish and eastern Empires. Aethelwulf king of Wessex and his son Alfred remained in Rome as pilgrims during the first year of Benedict's reign. They not only spent a lot of money repairing the Saxon compound in the city but made generous gifts to the Churches of Rome and to the Roman people (at the Pope's request); and promised regular annual contributions from England to the Holy See - called 'Peter's pence'. Roman.
105. St Nicholas I, 858-867. One of the greatest defenders of the Holy See against Imperial interference. Uncompromising in the defence of the sanctity of marriage, he intervened when Theutberga of Lorraine was repudiated on a false charge of incest by her husband Lothair II. When the Papal Legates at Metz accepted bribes to ratify Lothair's new marriage to his mistress Waldrada, the Pope excommunicated the two Archbishops who brought him the news, and even when the Emperor invaded Rome and the Pope had to flee St Peter's he would not agree to the divorce. Eventually Lothair was obliged to submit, as were the two Archbishops of Cologne and Trier. Nicholas asserted Rome's jurisdiction over the east and excommunicated Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople in 863 A.D. Roman.
106. Hadrian II, 867-872. He was so highly regarded because of his charitableness that he was twice selected as Pope in 855 and 858 but refused. Elderly when elected, he lacked the vigour and brilliance of Leo IV or Nicholas I. During his reign, the Fourth Council of Constantinople was held supporting his predecessor's excommunication of Photius, by placing the Patriarchates in the following order: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem. This was never acceptable to Rome, which insisted that Alexandria come before Constantinople, as the latter was not an Apostolic See. Sts Cyril and Methodius apostles of the Slavic peoples visited Rome in 867-868 and the Pope approved the use of Old Slavonic in the Liturgy. He also consecrated St Methodius as Archbishop of Sirmium (Sremska Mitrovica in Yugoslavia) and appointed him Papal legate to the Slavs. Roman aristocrat.
107. John VIII, 872-882. He worked to defend Italy from the Muslim invaders - but his efforts were frustrated by the collusion of the southern states with the enemy. He worked hard to maintain the Holy See's independence of the Empire; and he sought reconciliation with Constantinople in order to present a united front to the Muslim menace. He was a forceful supporter of the indissolubility of marriage and he championed Methodius when he clashed with the German clergy and was imprisoned. In 880, when the saint was summoned to Rome to explain his teaching, the Pope completely vindicated him and ratified the permission of Hadrian II to use Old Slavonic in the Mass. John VIII was murdered by enemies on December 16, 882. Roman.
108. Marinus I, 882-884. Bishop of Cerveteri, in Etruria, about 40 km NW of Rome, he was the first Bishop of another see to be elected Pope. He maintained good relations with Emperor Charles III, and with Photius in Constantinople, and was a good friend to Alfred, now King of England. Out of respect for him the Pope exempted the English quarter of Rome from taxes.Tuscan.
109. St Hadrian III, 884-885. This pope continued the policies of John VIII and adopted a conciliatory approach to the Patriarch of Constantinople. He died unexpectedly while traveling to Worms to settle a dispute over succession for Emperor Charles III. Roman.
110. Stephen V, 885-891. A well-respected priest he was a popular choice. In 886 A.D. he asked the help of Charles III against the Muslims but the latter had to recross the Alps to attend the troubles in France. When Charles died two years later, the empire of Charlemagne finally fell apart; it had lasted only 88 years. The Pope maintained good relations with Constantinople and the two worked to confront the Muslim menace of Europe. He fell victims to intrigues he could not understand when Saint Methodius, apostle of the Slavs died. He had designated his successor as Goradz - but this appointment was opposed by the German clergy. Influenced by the Germans, the Pope appointed the appointment of Bishop Wiching of Nitra, a follower of Methodius who was not in favour of the Slavonic liturgy. As a result of this, the other followers of Methodius fled to Bulgaria where the foundations were laid of a Slavonic speaking Church that would later on become the Russian Orthodox Church which would not look to the apostolic See of Rome, but the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Roman.
111. Formosus, 891-896. A controversial Pope, highly gifted and of exemplary personal life, he was elected Pope as an elderly man. He strengthened the Catholic Church in England, and in Germany, and continued the policy of good relations with Constantinople. He incurred the animosity of Lambert of Spoleto by crowning Arnulf king of the east Franks as Emperor. Roman.
112. Boniface VI, April 896. He seems to be chosen by the unruly populace in opposition to the German Emperor. A very sick person he died 15 days after his election, and was buried in the portico of the Popes in St Peter's Basilica.
113. Stephen VI, 896-897. The first of what have become known as the 'bad Popes'. A weak person, he allowed himself to pressured by Lambert of Spoleto, and Queen Ageltrude whose hatred of the dead Pope Formosus knew no bounds. At a mock trial, the king with Stephen's approval had the Pope's body disinterred clad in papal vestments and charged with moving Bishops from one See to another, and being ambitious for the Papacy. The dead Pope was found guilty, and his body flung in the Tiber. A hermit took it from the river, and reinterred it. Supporters of the dead Pope were so outraged by this craven act that they rebelled, and threw Stephen into gaol where he was strangled. Roman.
114. Romanus. August-November 897. Little is known of his short reign of four months. He gave the pallium to Vitalis, Patriarch of Grado. From Gallese.
115. Theodore II, November 897. A peace-loving priest, he reigned only twenty days. He held a Synod that annulled the scandalous findings of the synod of January 897 that found Pope Formosus guilty. He also arranged for the body of the dead Pope to be honoured and buried with as much ceremony as possible in St Peter's. Roman.
116. John IX, 898-900. He also annulled the infamous synod of Stephen, and pardoned those who had taken part in it after they pleaded that they had done so under duress. He also forbade in perpetuity the trial of dead persons. Lambert of Spoleto, under the influence of John IX renewed the ancient privileges of the Roman See, and guaranteed its territorial integrity. The hopes held out for peace were dashed when the young Emperor died in a hunting accident on October 5, 898. The Pope worked hard to reconcile the various factions tearing Constantinople apart, and attempted to restore order in Moravia which, by 906, would collapse under the Magyar invaders. From Tivoli.
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