STEPHEN II (III), Pope. - Of a Roman family. As soon as he was elected pope, between 16 and 25 March 752, he had to fight against the designs of the Lombard king Aistulf, who intended to seize the Duchy of Rome. He concluded an agreement with him in June of the same year; but the sovereign's claim to impose the poll tax on the Roman people threw the city into unrest.

Moreover, to S. II, even more than to the Romans, the idea of being subject to a barbarian was repugnant, and he wished to safeguard his freedom of action and his temporal authority. There was nothing to hope for from the emperor of Constantinople: therefore the Pope turned to the Franks, who nevertheless lived on good terms with the Lombards. S. II decided to go to Pepin the Short and to solicit his support in person. The departure took place on 15 Oct. 753; after negotiating in vain with Aistulf at Pavia, Stephen met with Pepin at Ponthion (Marne) on 6 Jan. 754 and obtained from him the promise of an intervention in favor of the «cause of blessed Peter and of the Roman Republic». A serious illness endangered the Pope's life at the abbey of St. Denis; he recovered, and returned to Rome under the protection of the Franks (Oct. 745), victors over Aistulf. However, when the Frankish army had recrossed the Alps, Aistulf invested Rome (1 Jan. 756); then Pepin hastened to the aid of the Romans, freed its blockaded walls and reduced the Lombard to his mercy. The defeated man had to abandon a vast territory to the Holy See; thus, thanks to the tenacity of S. II, the Papal State (v.) had its foundation.

Bibliography7 works

BIBL.: Lib. Pont., I, pp. 440-62; Codex Carolinus, in MGH, Epist., II, pp. 476-653; G. Schnurer, Der Verfasser der Vita Stephan II, in Histor. Jahrbuch, 11 (1890), pp. 425-38; B. Krusch, Chron. du pseudo-Frédigaire, in MGH, Script. rerum merest. III, pp. 7-168; L. Duchesne, Les premiers temps de l'Etat pontif., 3e ed., Paris 1911, pp. 34-78. On the consecration of Pepin by S. II, v.: L. Levillain, in Biblioth. de l'Ex. des Chartes, 88 (1927), pp. 20-42; E. Baudot, in Le Moyen âge, 2e serie, XXVIII, Paris 1927, pp. 170-81; W. Levison, in Zeitschr. der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgesch. Kan. Abteilung, 18 (1920).

Guglielmo Mollat

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Stephen II (III), Pope

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