ADRIAN II, POPE. - *Silver denarius*.
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**Adrian I, Pope.** - Epitaph dictated by *Charlemagne* - Atrium of the basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican.
The benevolence shown toward those who had been struck by the interdict of his predecessor aroused fears in Rome and the Gauls. Adrian hastened to reassure the Fathers of the Council of Troyes (2 Feb. 868) and Ado, Archbishop of Vienne (8 May 868). In Rome, he instead invited the entire clergy to a banquet and entreated them to remain faithful to the doctrine of his predecessor. He retained Anastasius the Librarian in the office of chancellor, who had gone from being a rebel to a servant of the popes. It seems that this man had lived with his brother Eleutherius in the abduction and marriage of the latter to Adrian’s daughter, for which Adrian sought justice from the emperor. Enraged, Eleutherius killed his bride and her mother, but upon being pursued by imperial justice, he was hanged. Anastasius, on the other hand, was excommunicated in the most severe form (12 Oct. 868), yet within a year he would be found again in the papal chancery. One of the most pressing problems left to Adrian by his predecessor was the contentious issue of the marriage of Lothar II, who had repudiated the virtuous Theutberga and married the concubine Waldrada. Nicholas I had excommunicated her; Adrian, having received a solemn assurance that she had broken off all relations with Lothar after the excommunication, absolved her. Lothar deluded himself into believing he could obtain recognition of his new bond with Waldrada and sent Theutberga to Rome to request the dissolution of the marriage, but in vain. Then he himself came to Italy and met with the Pope at Monte Cassino, but could receive the Eucharist only after assuring that he had no further relations with the excommunicate (1 July 869). When he died suddenly on the return journey without leaving legitimate heirs (7 Aug. 869), the inheritance of his kingdom, Lorraine, remained open. Charles the Bald, Louis the German, and the emperor all aspired to II. Adrian supported the latter, but without success.
During these disputes, Adrian had much to contend with Incarnatus of Reims, who in a lengthy letter (Epist., XXVII: PL 126, 181) set forth “what would later be called political Gallicanism” (E. Amann). He had arranged for his turbulent and prickly nephew, Incarnatus, to be promoted to the see of Laon, a suffragan of Reims (858). Some time later, he had to defend him from the wrath of Charles the Bald (868). Soon, however, Incarnatus of Laon severed relations with his uncle, who had him deposed at the Council of Douzy (Aug. 871). He then turned to Rome, where his appeal was heard, and the actions of both the king and Incarnatus of Reims were condemned, though the latter was of Reims. They reacted sharply, and Adrian, unaware of the matter because the chancellor Anastasius had acted without his knowledge, was finally informed of everything. He responded in a conciliatory manner, holding out to Charles the Bald the prospect of the imperial crown, which at that very moment had suffered a severe humiliation. The Duke of Benevento, Adelchis, had seized Louis II, who was a guest in that city, and did not release him until he learned of the Saracen landing at Salerno. To restore imperial prestige and comfort Louis, Adrian invited him to Rome and crowned him anew at St. Peter’s (872).
The great Pontiff also faced concerns from the East. A cause for joy was the rapid conversion of the Moravians through the efforts of Constantine and Methodius (863 and following). Summoned to Rome by Nicholas I to justify their use of the Slavic language in the liturgy, they found Adrian, who received them warmly, especially since they brought the relics of St. Clement, discovered at Cherson. Adrian approved the use of the Slavic language, ordained Methodius as a priest and some Moravians, and would have consecrated Constantine as bishop had he not died after taking the monastic habit and changing his name to Cyril. Shortly afterward, Adrian restored the see of Sirmium, consecrating Methodius as bishop with jurisdiction over Pannonia, Moravia, and Serbia. The usurper Basil the Macedonian, who in November 867 had deposed Photius and reinstated Ignatius in the see of Constantinople, sought the convocation of a great council to settle the matter. Adrian preceded this with the Council of the Roman province (10 June 869), in which he condemned Photius and deposed the legates. The Eighth Ecumenical Council, Constantinople IV (5 Oct. 869 – 28 Feb. 870), deposed Photius. Adrian accepted this, as for the sake of peace he also accepted the 21st canon, which granted the patriarch of Constantinople second place after that of Rome. However, he rejected the decisions of a conference held on the margins of the Council, attended even by papal legates, which assigned Bulgaria to the Byzantine patriarch.
Adrian died between 26 November and 14 December 872.
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