The Emergence of Sibling Cultures (600-750) - The Making of Western Europe - The Man in the Middle: The Pope

8 important questions on The Emergence of Sibling Cultures (600-750) - The Making of Western Europe - The Man in the Middle: The Pope

What was the position of the pope at the end of the sixth century?

The pope's position was ambiguous. As bishop of Rome, he wielded real secular power within the city as well as a measure of spiritual leadership farther afield. Yet in other ways he was subordinate to Byzantium.

How did the emperor's views on dogma, discipline, and Church administration change in the seventh century?

  • In 691/692, the Quinisext council banned dancing and drew up 102 rules of discipline for both churchmen and laity.
  • Emperor Justinian II (r.685-695; 705-711) convened the council with the hope that the pope would attend, but Pope Sergius I (687-701) did not come, nor would he agree to the canons produced by the council.

What did Pope Sergius I object to at the Quinisext?

He objected in particular to two, one permitting priests to have wives if their marriages had occurred before ordination and the other prohibiting fasting on Saturdays in Lent.
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What did Justinian do to Sergius' refusal? What happened next?

Justinian tried to arrest the pope, but the imperial army in Italy (theoretically under the emperor's command) came to the pontiff's aid instead. Justinian's arresting officer was reduced to cowering under the pope's bed.

What does Justinian's attempt to arrest Sergius show?

It shows that Constantinople's influence and authority over Rome had become tenuous. Sheer distance as well as diminishing imperial power in Italy meant that the popes had in effect become the leaders of non-Lombard Italy.

How did the gap between Byzantium and the papacy widen in early eighth century?

  • The gap between Byzantium and the papacy widened in the early eighth century, when Emperor Leo III tried to increase the taxes on papal property to pay for his wars against the Arabs.
  • The papacy responded by leading a general tax revolt. 
  • Meanwhile, Leo's fierce policy of iconoclasm collided with the pope's tolerance of images.

What did increasing friction with Byzantium mean for the pope?

Increasing friction with Byzantium meant that when the pope felt threatened by the Lombard kings, as he did in the mid-eighth century, he looked elsewhere for support.

What did Pope Stephen II do? What implications did this action have?

  • Pope Stephen II (752-757) appealed to the Franks - to Pippin III, the king who had taken the royal crown. Pippin listened to the pope's entreaties and marched into Italy with an army to fight the Lombards.
  • The new Frankish/papal alliance would change the map of Europe in the coming decades.

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