Pope Benedict III ( la, Benedictus III; died 17 April 858) 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 29 September 855 to his death.

Early career

Little is known of Benedict's life before his papacy. His father was named Peter. Benedict was educated, and lived in

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 ...

and was appointed by Pope Leo IV as cardinal-priest of the church of

San Callisto San Callisto ( en, Saint Callixtus, la, S. Calixti) is a Roman Catholic titular church in Rome, Italy, built over the site of Pope Callixtus I's martyrdom (c. AD 222). The original building dates from the time of Pope Gregory III (r. 731–741), w ...

.J. N. D. Kelly, "Benedict III" in ''The Oxford Dictionary of Popes,'' (2006). Benedict had a reputation for learning and

piety Piety is a virtue which may include religious devotion or spirituality. A common element in most conceptions of piety is a duty of respect. In a religious context piety may be expressed through pious activities or devotions, which may vary among ...

Pontificate

Benedict III was

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...

upon the refusal of Adrian, the initial choice of the

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

and people. Arsenius, bishop of Horta, intercepted the legates sent to advise the emperor of the election and persuaded them to betray Benedict and convince the emperor name the bishop's son Anastasius instead. Anastasius had previously been excommunicated by Leo IV. The legates returned with the imperial envoys and had Benedict's election disavowed and Anastasius installed. Anastasius took his place at the Lateran and Benedict was imprisoned. However, local popular opinion was so strong that the Franks recognized Benedict's consecration. Benedict treated Anastasius and his adherents leniently.Brusher S.J., Joseph S., "Benedict III", ''Popes Through the Ages'', Neff-Kane; 3rd edition (1980, The schism helped to weaken the hold of the emperors upon the popes, especially upon their elections. Benedict intervened in the conflict between

Lothair II of Lotharingia Lothair II (835 – 8 August 869) was the king of Lotharingia from 855 until his death. He was the second son of Emperor Lothair I and Ermengarde of Tours. He was married to Teutberga (died 875), daughter of Boso the Elder. Reign For politic ...

Louis II of Italy Louis II (825 – 12 August 875), sometimes called the Younger, was the king of Italy and emperor of the Carolingian Empire from 844, co-ruling with his father Lothair I until 855, after which he ruled alone. Louis's usual title was ''impera ...

, and

Charles of Provence Charles of Provence or Charles II (845 – 25 January 863) was the Carolingian King of Provence from 855 until his early death in 863. Charles was the youngest son of Emperor Lothair I and Ermengarde of Tours. His father divided Middle Fra ...

on the death of their father, Emperor

Lothair I Lothair I or Lothar I (Dutch and Medieval Latin: ''Lotharius''; German: ''Lothar''; French: ''Lothaire''; Italian: ''Lotario'') (795 – 29 September 855) was emperor (817–855, co-ruling with his father until 840), and the governor of Bavar ...

. He wrote to the Frankish bishops, rebuking them for remaining silent in the face of the disorder affecting the Carolingian realms.

Æthelwulf of Wessex C3, C-3, C.3, C03, C.III or C-III may refer to: Life and biology * C3 carbon fixation in plants * C3-convertase, an enzyme * Complement component 3, a protein of the innate immune system * Apolipoprotein C3, a human very low density lipoprotein ...

and his son, the future king

Alfred the Great Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who bot ...

, visited Rome in Benedict's reign. The Schola Anglorum, which was destroyed by fire in 847, was restored by Benedict. A medieval tradition claimed that

Pope Joan Pope Joan (''Ioannes Anglicus'', 855–857) was, according to legend, a woman who reigned as pope for two years during the Middle Ages. Her story first appeared in chronicles in the 13th century and subsequently spread throughout Europe. The s ...

, a woman disguised as a man, was Benedict's immediate predecessor. The legendary Joan is generally believed to be fictitious.

References

Sources

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...

, 9th edition (1880s) *Baix, F. (1935). "Benoît III pape", in: ''Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques'', VIII (Paris 1935), pp 14–27. *Cheetham, Nicolas, ''Keepers of the Keys'', New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1983. * * * *

External links

*Bertolini, Ottorino (1966)
"Benedetto III, papa"
''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'' Volume 8 (1966) *Benedictus III

published by J. P. Migne, ''Patrologia Latina'', with analytical indexes {{DEFAULTSORT:Benedict 03 Popes 9th-century cardinals 858 deaths Burials at St. Peter's Basilica Year of birth unknown 9th-century popes Italian popes