He was electedpope on 10 May 946 after the death ofMarinus II. The existence of an independent republic of Rome, ruled byAlberic II of Spoleto, meant that Agapetus was prevented from exercising any temporal or secular power in Rome and thePapal States. The struggle betweenBerengar II andOtto I for theKingdom of Italy allowed Alberic to exercise complete control over Rome and Agapetus, meaning the pope was largely limited to managing internal church affairs.[1] 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 ofMainz andChur, were sent to the pope to discuss Otto's reception in Rome and other more important questions, they were turned away by Alberic.[2]
Agapetus was forced to intervene in the dispute over the occupancy of theSee of Reims. He ordered asynod to be held atIngelheim in June 948 to resolve the rights of the rival claimants,Hugh of Vermandois andArtald of Reims. He sent hislegate Marinus of Bomarzo to act on his behalf, while Agapetus wrote to a number of bishops, asking them to be present at the council.[3] Through his legate the pope indicated his support for KingLouis IV of France, and gave his support for reinstalling Artald as bishop of Reims.[4] This council was followed up by another one atTrier, where Agapetus was again represented by Marinus of Bomarzo. In 949, Agapetus held asynod in Rome, which confirmed the rulings of the two councils. It condemned the former bishop Hugh and itexcommunicated his father, CountHerbert II of Vermandois, for his opposition to King Louis IV.[5]
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 byWilliam of Mainz.[6] Around 948, Agapetus granted theArchbishop of Hamburg the right of consecrating bishops in Denmark and other northern European countries instead of the pope.[7] The pope was also allegedly asked by a Danish king namedFrode, now considered mythical, to send missionaries to his kingdom.[8]
Agapetus was also asked to intervene in a dispute between Herhold,archbishop of Salzburg and Gerard,bishop ofLauriacum, who both claimed the title ofmetropolitan of allPannonia. 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 theHuns. However, following the ravages inflicted by them, the metropolitan had transferred hissee 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 theAvars and theMoravians, would fall under Gerard.[9]
In Italy, Agapetus wrote to the dukes ofBeneventum andCapua, demanding that monasteries be returned to the monks whom they had displaced. He also deposed the bishops ofTermoli andTrivento who were accused ofsimony. Hoping to rejuvenate the religious life of the clerics in Italy, Agapetus, with the blessing of Alberic, asked for theabbot ofGorze Abbey to send some of his monks down and join the monastic community attached to the church ofSaint Paul Outside the Walls.[10]
Agapetus died on 8 November 955, and was succeeded by Alberic's son, Octavian, who took the papal name ofJohn XII. He was buried in theLateran basilica, behind the apse, and close to the tombs ofLeo V andPaschal II.[11] Agapetus was noted for his caution and for the sanctity with which he led his life.[12]
^DeCormenin, Louis Marie; Gihon, James L.,A Complete History of the Popes of Rome, from Saint Peter, the First Bishop to Pius the Ninth (1857), pg. 291
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