Stephan VI.
Stephan VI. (VII.) († 897 ) was Pope from May 896 to July or August 897.
Act
Stephan VI. was previously Bishop of Anagni , to whom his predecessor Formosus had appointed him. He had also made Stephan cardinal .
Stephen's predecessor in the papacy was Boniface VI. who died of natural causes. The circumstances of Stephen's election as papal are unclear, but he was supported by one of the powerful Roman families, the House of Spoleto , which at the time was fighting with other families over influence over the papacy.
Stephan is best known for the trial against Formosus, which became known as the funeral synod and which undoubtedly came about under pressure from Spoleto. At that January 897 trial, Formosus' decaying body, which had been buried for more than 9 months, was exhumed , tried and convicted of perjury and usurpation . The body was then thrown into the Tiber . Supporters of Formosus fished the body out and buried it secretly, only later was the body returned to its grave in St. Peter .
The process sparked an uprising, which - although the instigators Lambert of Spoleto and his mother Ageltrude had restored their rule over Rome at the beginning of 897 - ended with Stephen VI. was incarcerated and strangled the following summer. His successor was Romanus .
count
In an alternative count, the priest Stephen II , who was elected Pope but died before his episcopal ordination, is recognized as Pope. As a result, all other popes with this name are counted with a higher number, i.e. Stephen VI. as Stephan VII. - In specialist literature, the spelling Stephan VI. is often used to avoid misunderstandings . (VII.) Used.
literature
- Vito Loré: Stefano VI. In: Massimo Bray (ed.): Enciclopedia dei Papi. Volume 2: Niccolò I, santo, Sisto IV. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 2000, pp. 48–50 ( treccani.it ) ..
- Georg Schwaiger: Stephan VI . In: Lexicon of the Middle Ages (LexMA). Volume 8, LexMA-Verlag, Munich 1997, ISBN 3-89659-908-9 , Sp. 118.
Web links
- Stephan VI .. In: Salvador Miranda : The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. ( Florida International University website), accessed November 26, 2011.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Boniface VI. |
Pope 896-897 |
Romanus |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Stephan VI. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Stephen VII |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Pope |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 9th century |
| DATE OF DEATH | 897 |