Pope Agapetus II (died 8 November 955) was the

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

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 10 May 946 to his death. A nominee of the

princeps ''Princeps'' (plural: ''principes'') is a Latin word meaning "first in time or order; the first, foremost, chief, the most eminent, distinguished, or noble; the first man, first person". As a title, ''princeps'' originated in the Roman Republic w ...

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 ...

Alberic II of Spoleto Alberic II (912–954) was ruler of Rome from 932 to 954, after deposing his mother Marozia and his stepfather, King Hugh of Italy. He was of the house of the counts of Tusculum, the son of Marozia by her first husband, Duke Alberic I of Spoleto ...

, his pontificate occurred during the period known as the ''

Saeculum obscurum ''Saeculum obscurum'' (, "the dark age/century"), also known as the Pornocracy or the Rule of the Harlots, was a period in the history of the Papacy during the first two-thirds of the 10th century, following the chaos after the death of Formosu ...

''.

Pontificate

Agapetus was born to a Roman father (a descendant of Consul

Anicius Faustus Albinus Basilius Anicius Faustus Albinus Basilius was a high official of the Eastern Roman Empire and the last ordinary consul of Roman history, holding the office alone in 541. Biography His origins are unknown, although his name suggests he belonged to the ar ...

) and a Greek mother. He was elected

pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

on 10 May 946 after the death of

Marinus II Pope Marinus II (died May 946) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 30 October 942 to his death. He has also been mistakenly called Martinus III. He ruled during the ''Saeculum obscurum''. He was also erroneously called Mart ...

. The existence of an independent republic of Rome, ruled by

, meant that Agapetus was prevented from exercising any temporal or secular power in Rome and the

. The struggle between Berengar II and

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of He ...

for the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and f ...

allowed Alberic to exercise complete control over Rome and Agapetus, meaning the pope was largely limited to managing internal church affairs. Even Agapetus’ invitation to Otto to intervene in Italian affairs in 951 was done at the instigation of Alberic, who was growing concerned at Berengar's growing power. However, when Otto's envoys, the bishops of

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

and Bishop of Chur, Chur, were sent to the pope to discuss Otto's reception in Rome and other more important questions, they were turned away by Alberic. Agapetus was forced to intervene in the dispute over the occupancy of the See of Reims. He ordered a Universal Synod of Ingelheim, synod to be held at Ingelheim in June 948 to resolve the rights of the rival claimants, Hugh of Vermandois (Bishop), Hugh of Vermandois and Artald of Reims. He sent his papal legate, legate Marinus of Bomarzo to act on his behalf, while Agapetus wrote to a number of bishops, asking them to be present at the council. Through his legate the pope indicated his support for King Louis IV of France, and gave his support for reinstalling Artald as bishop of Reims. This council was followed up by another one at Trier, where Agapetus was again represented by Marinus of Bomarzo. In 949, Agapetus held a synod in Rome, which confirmed the rulings of the two councils. It condemned the former bishop Hugh and it excommunicated his father, Count Herbert II of Vermandois, for his opposition to King Louis IV. After receiving requests from both Louis IV of France and Otto I of Germany, Agapetus granted privileges to monasteries and nunneries within their respective kingdoms. He also was sympathetic towards Otto's plans to restructure the bishoprics within Germany, which were eventually aborted due to pressure exerted by William (Archbishop of Mainz), William of Mainz. Around 948, Agapetus, granted the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hamburg, Archbishop of Hamburg the right of consecrating bishops in Denmark and other northern European countries instead of the pope. The pope was also allegedly asked by a Danish king named Frode, now considered legendary, to send missionaries to his kingdom. Agapetus was also asked to intervene in a dispute between Herhold, archbishop of Salzburg and Gerard, bishop of Enns (city), Lauriacum, who both claimed the title of metropolitan bishop, metropolitan of all Pannonia. Agapetus dispatched a letter to the two claimants, in which he stated that the diocese of Lauriacum had been the metropolitan church of all Pannonia before the invasion of the Huns. However, following the ravages inflicted by them, the metropolitan had transferred his Episcopal see, see to another city, and since that time Salzburg had been raised to an archbishopric. Consequently, both lawfully occupied their respective sees, and both were to retain their rank and diocese. Agapetus ruled that jurisdiction over western Pannonia would rest with Herhold, while the eastern part, along with the regions occupied by the Avars (Carpathians), Avars and the Moravians (ethnic group), Moravians, would fall under Gerard. In Italy, Agapetus wrote to the dukes of Duchy of Benevento, Beneventum and Principality of Capua, Capua, demanding that monasteries be returned to the monks whom they had displaced. He also deposed the bishops of Roman Catholic Diocese of Termoli-Larino, Termoli and Roman Catholic Diocese of Trivento, Trivento who were accused of simony. Hoping to rejuvenate the religious life of the clerics in Italy, Agapetus, with the blessing of Alberic, asked for the abbot of Gorze Abbey to send some of his monks down and join the monastic community attached to the church of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. Agapetus died on 8 November 955, and was succeeded by Alberic's son, Octavian, who took the papal name of Pope John XII, John XII. He was buried in the Lateran basilica, behind the apse, and close to the tombs of Pope Leo V, Leo V and Paschal II. Agapetus was noted for his caution and for the sanctity with which he led his life.Gregorovius, pg. 321; Mann, pg. 225

References

* Gregorovius, Ferdinand, ''The History of Rome in the Middle Ages, Vol. III'' (1895) * Mann, Horace K., ''The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages, Vol. IV: The Popes in the Days of Feudal Anarchy, 891-999'' (1910)

Notes

External links

Catholic Encyclopedia article on Agapetus II

{{DEFAULTSORT:Agapetus 02 Popes Italian popes 955 deaths Year of birth unknown 10th-century popes Burials at the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran