Stephen (II) III

Stephen (II) III
Stephen (II) III
    Pope Stephen (II) III
     Catholic_Encyclopedia Pope Stephen (II) III
    Unanimously elected in St. Mary Major's and consecrated on 26 March (or 3 April), 752; d. 26 April, 757. He had at once to face the Lombards who were resolved to bring all Italy under their sway. With the capture of Ravenna (751), they had put an end to the power of the Byzantine exarchs and were preparing to seize the Duchy of Rome. In vain did Stephen apply for help to Constantinople and freely spent his money to induce them to keep the peace they had made with him, and to refrain from hostilities. He accordingly devoted himself to prayer and endeavoured to obtain assistance from Pepin and the Franks. As a last resource he went himself to Gaul to plead his cause before the Frankish king. Receiving a most favourable reception, he crowned Pepin as King of the Franks, and at Kiersey was solemnly assured by him that he would defend him, and would restore the exarchate to St. Peter. Failing to make any impression on Aistulf, the Lombard king, by repeated embassies, Pepin forced the passes of the Alps, and compelled him to swear to restore Ravenna and the other cities he had taken (754). But no sooner had Pepin withdrawn from Lombardy than Aistulf roused the whole Lombard nation, appeared in arms before the walls of Rome (Jan., 756), ravaged the neighbourhood, and made a desparate attempt to capture the city. After receiving one appeal for help after another from the pope, Pepin crossed the Alps a second time (756), and again forced Aistulf to submission. This time Stephen was put in possession of the cities of the exarchate and of the Pentapolis, and became practically the first pope-king. Towards the close of this same year Aistulf died amid preparations for once more violating his engagements. On his death two rivals claimed the Lombard throne, Desiderius, Duke of Istria and Ratchis, brother of Aistulf, who in 749 had resigned the Lombard crown, and had taken the monastic habit in Monte Cassino. Desiderius at once invoked the assistance of the pope, and, on condition of his help, promised to restore to Rome certain cities in the exarchate and the Pentapolis which still remained in the hands of the Lombards, and to give the pope a large sum of money. Stephen at once sent envoys to both the rivals, and, impressing on Ratchis the duty of being true to his monastic vows, succeeded in bringing about peace, and preventing civil war. Ratchis returned to his monastery and Desiderius was recognized as king (about March, 757). The latter, however, did not fulfill his promise to the pope in its entirety. He gave up Faenza, Ferrara, and two small towns, but retained Bologna, Imola, and other towns in the Pentapolis till his overthrow by Charlemagne. Stephen had scarcely established a system of government in the exarchate when he had to quell the rebellion of Sergius, Archbishop of Ravenna, whom he had made its governor. He, however, caused the rebel to be brought to Rome, and kept him there whilst he lived. Stephen corresponded with the Emperor Constantine on the subject of the restoration of the sacred images, and himself restored many of the ancient churches of the city. Remarkable for his love of the poor, Stephen built hospitals for them near St. Peter's, in which church he was buried.
    Ed. DUCHESNE, Liber Pontificalis, I (Paris, 1886), 440 sq.; ed. JAFFE, Codex Carolinus (Berlin, 1867); Mon. Ger. Hist.; Epp., III (Berlin, 1892); Script., I; Script. rerum Langob. Most of these sources will be found in HALLER, Die Quellen zur Gesch. der Entstehung der Kirchenstaates (Leipzig, 1907); HODGKIN, Italy and her Invaders, VII (Oxford, 1899); DUCHESNE, The Beginning of the Temporal Sovereignty of the Popes (London, 1908), iii, iv; MANN, Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages, I, pt. ii (London, 1902), 289 sqq.
    HORACE K. MANN.
    Transcribed by WGKofron In memory of Fr. John Hilkert, Akron, Ohio. Fidelis servus et prudens, quem constituit Dominus super familiam suam

The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VIII. — New York: Robert Appleton Company. . 1910.


Catholic encyclopedia.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Stephen Taber III — Infobox Person name = Stephen Taber III birth date = birth date|1924|04|17|df=y birth place = Columbia,South Carolina, U.S. death date = death date and age|2008|5|22|1924|4|17|df=y death place = Elgin, South Carolina, U.S. occupation =… …   Wikipedia

  • Stephen (II) III, Pope — • Unanimously elected in St. Mary Major s and consecrated on 26 March (or 3 April), 752; d. 26 April, 757 Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Stephen Murphy III — Stephen Joseph Murphy III (born in St. Louis, Missouri, September 23, 1962) is a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, and a former United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan from …   Wikipedia

  • Stephen II [III] — (d. 757)    Pope.    Stephen was born in Rome, Italy, and in 752 he replaced another Pope Stephen II who died before his consecration. He is remembered for seeking the protection of the Frankish King, Pepin III, against the Lombards, turning away …   Who’s Who in Christianity

  • Pope Stephen (II) III —     Pope Stephen (II) III     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► Pope Stephen (II) III     Unanimously elected in St. Mary Major s and consecrated on 26 March (or 3 April), 752; d. 26 April, 757. He had at once to face the Lombards who were resolved to… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Stephen Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia — Stephen Uroš IV Dušan the Mighty Uroš IV Nemanjić Стефан Урош IV Душан Силни King of all Serbian and Maritime Lands Reign …   Wikipedia

  • Stephen (III) IV —     Pope Stephen (III) IV     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► Pope Stephen (III) IV     Born about 720; died 1 or 3 August, 772. Paul I was not dead when trouble began about the election of his successor. Toto of Nepi with a body of Tuscans burst into… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Stephen Marshall (writer) — Stephen Marshall is a writer, film director, and internet entrepreneur from Canada. His work has been wide ranging, including music videos, short format work, feature length documentary, and political criticism. Channel Zero In 1995, Marshall… …   Wikipedia

  • Stephen Uroš II Milutin of Serbia — For the Serb Grand Prince 1140 1161, see Uroš II Prvoslav. Stephen Uroš II Milutin Nemanjić Стефан Урош II Милутин Немањић King of all the Serbian and Maritime Lands Fresco of king Milutin, King s Church of the Studenica monastery …   Wikipedia

  • Stephen IV of Hungary — Stephen IV (Hungarian: IV. István , Croatian: Stjepan V. , Slovak: Štefan IV. ), (c. 1133 ndash; 11 April 1165, Zimony), King of Hungary and Croatia (1163 1165). In his youth, he rebelled against his brother, King Géza II of Hungary and had to… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”