PELAGIUS II, POPE. — Of Germanic origin, he was born in Rome to Unigildus. Having entered the clergy, in 579, at the death of Benedict I, he was elected pope and consecrated on 26 November. Given the precarious circumstances in which Italy found itself, devastated by the Lombards who had advanced as far as the outskirts of Rome, the consecration took place without awaiting, as was customary, the approval of the Byzantine Emperor.
As soon as he ascended the papal throne, P. endeavored by every means to save Rome from barbarian devastation: assuming leadership of events alongside the Roman Senate, he sent an embassy to Constantinople to solicit military aid. Since this proved ineffective, P. turned to the king of the Franks (October 580), urging him to ally with the Emperor against the Lombards. Having received no effective defense from the exarch of Ravenna, Smaragdus, he dispatched a new embassy to Constantinople. Following negotiations, in 585 he was able to conclude a truce with Authari, lasting until 589. Taking advantage of the peaceful political conditions brought by the truce, P. was finally able to devote himself more intensively to religious and spiritual activity, and above all sought to end the harmful schism that had arisen under Pelagius I (v.), writing to Bishop Elias of Aquileia to give formal assurance that nothing had been done contrary to the Council of Chalcedon, the object and pretext of the dispute; but all negotiations on this matter, due to the obstinacy of the schismatics, came to nothing. Indeed, another letter to Elias, in which he minutely explained the stance of the Apostolic See on the question of the "Three Chapters," of Popes Vigilius and Pelagius I, while also providing strong arguments for their condemnation, went unheeded. Nor did the threats of Emperor Maurice intimidate the successors of Elias, and the attempts of Exarch Smaragdus likewise proved fruitless. During P.'s pontificate, the troublesome issue also arose from the ambitious Patriarch John of Constantinople, who arrogated to himself the title of "Ecumenical Patriarch."
In November 589, a terrible flood of the Tiber caused great damage and brought on a pestilence: among the first victims was P. himself (7 February 590).