Theodor II (antipope)

Theodor II was an antipope .

When Pope John V died in August 686, clashes broke out between the clergy and the citizen militia . Both factions could not agree on a common candidate, the conflict escalated and the military party elected Theodore as Pope.

When both factions reached an agreement on Konon on October 21, 686 , the party of the citizen militia dropped its candidate Theodor and approved Konon's election. When he died at the end of September 687, Theodor registered his claims to the papal throne; but at the same time Archdeacon Paschalis had bribed the Exarch of Ravenna with 100 pounds of gold and, in turn, claimed the papal throne. Both popes tried to get to the Lateran as quickly as possible . Theodore won this race and occupied the inner rooms while Paschalis held the outer ones.

As with Konon's election, both parties agreed on a third candidate, Sergius I. Theodor accepted his defeat and withdrew. It is questionable whether Theodore can even be counted as an antipope because he was never consecrated . Apart from the fact that he almost became pope twice, nothing is known about him; one does not even know the year of his death.

literature

• Philippe Levillain (Ed.): Dictionnaire Historique de la Papauté. Fayard, Paris 1994, ISBN 2-213-02537-1 .
• Ernst Pulsfort:  Theodor. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 11, Bautz, Herzberg 1996, ISBN 3-88309-064-6 , Sp. 860-861.