Pope Benedict IV ( la, Benedictus IV; c. 840 - 30 July 903) was the

bishop of Rome A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

and ruler of the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

from 1 February 900 to his death. The tenth-century historian

Flodoard Flodoard of Reims (; 893/4 – 28 March 966) was a Frankish chronicler and priest of the cathedral church of Reims in the West Frankish kingdom during the decades following the dissolution of the Carolingian Empire. His historical writings are m ...

, who nicknamed him "the Great", commended his noble birth and public generosity. Benedict was a native of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, the son of one Mammalus, and was ordained priest by

Pope Formosus Pope Formosus (896) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 6 October 891 until his death on 4 April 896. His reign as pope was troubled, marked by interventions in power struggles over the Patriarchate of Constantinople, the ...

. He succeeded

Pope John IX Pope John IX ( la, Ioannes IX; died January 900) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from January 898 to his death. Early life Little is known about John IX before he became pope. Born in Tivoli to a man named Rampoaldo, he wa ...

. In 900, he excommunicated Count

Baldwin II of Flanders Baldwin II ( 865 – 10 September 918) was the second margrave (or count) of Flanders, ruling from 879 to 918. He was nicknamed the Bald (''Calvus'') after his maternal grandfather, Emperor Charles the Bald. Rule Baldwin II was born around 86 ...

for murdering

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Fulk of Reims Fulk the Venerable (died June 17, 900) was archbishop of Reims from 883 until his death. He was a key protagonist in the political conflicts of the West Francia, West Frankish kingdom that followed the dissolution of the Carolingian Empire in the ...

. In 901, Benedict crowned

Louis the Blind Louis the Blind ( 880 – 5 June 928) was the king of Provence from 11 January 887, King of Italy from 12 October 900, and briefly Holy Roman Emperor, as Louis III, between 901 and 905. His father was a Bosonid and his mother was a Carolingia ...

as emperor. In 902,

Berengar of Friuli Berengar I ( la, Berengarius, Perngarius; it, Berengario; – 7 April 924) was the king of Italy from 887. He was Holy Roman Emperor between 915 and his death in 924. He is usually known as Berengar of Friuli, since he ruled the March of Fri ...

defeated Louis III and forced him to leave Italy. Benedict died in

during the summer of 903; it is possible that Berengar had some involvement."The 117th Pope", ''Spirituality.org.'', Diocese of Bridgeport
/ref> Benedict was buried in front of

St Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a Church (building), church built in the Renaissance architecture, Renaissanc ...

, by the gate of Guido. He was followed by

Pope Leo V Pope Leo V was the bishop of Rome and nominal ruler of the Papal States from July 903 to his death in February 904. He was pope immediately before the period known as the ''Saeculum obscurum'', when popes wielded little temporal authority. Leo ...

References

* ''This article incorporates text from the 1913 ''

Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...

'' article "

Pope Benedict IV Pope Benedict IV ( la, Benedictus IV; c. 840 - 30 July 903) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 900 to his death. The tenth-century historian Flodoard, who nicknamed him "the Great", commended his noble birth a ...

" by Horace K. Mann, a publication now in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

.''

Literature

* * *

External links

Papa Benedikto IV katika ''Kamusi Elezo ya Kikatoliki''Encyclopædia Britannica
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benedict 04 Popes Italian popes 840s births 903 deaths Burials at St. Peter's Basilica Year of birth unknown 10th-century popes