Pope Sergius II (Latin:Sergius II; died 27 January 847) was thebishop of Rome and ruler of thePapal States from January 844 to his death in 847. Sergius II's pontificate saw theArab raid against Rome as well as the city's redevelopment.
Born to a noble family, Sergius was educated in theschola cantorum and ordainedcardinal-priest of the Church of Sts. Martin and Sylvester byPope Paschal I. UnderPope Gregory IV, he became archpriest.[1]
At a preliminary meeting todesignate a successor to Gregory IV, who died in January 844, Sergius was nominated by the aristocracy, while the people of Rome declared for the deaconJohn. The opposition was suppressed, with Sergius intervening to save John's life. John was, however, shut up in a monastery, and Sergius was dulyconsecrated, without seeking ratification of the Frankish court.[1] EmperorLothair I, however, disapproved of this abandonment of theConstitutio Romana of 824, which included a statute that no pope should be consecrated until his election had imperial approval. He sent an army under his sonLouis, the recently appointedking of Italy, to re-establish his authority. The Church and the emperor reached an accommodation, with Sergius crowning Louis as king,[2] but the pope did not accede to all the demands made upon him.
Sergius contributed to urban redevelopment inRome, improving churches, aqueducts, and the Lateran Basilica.[1] He and his brother, Benedict, funded their building plans by selling appointments to various church positions to the highest bidder.[3]
During his pontificate, the outskirts of Rome were ravaged, and the churches ofSt. Peter andSt. Paul were sacked by Arabs, who also approachedPortus andOstia in August 846.[2] During the raid, he and the people of Rome looked on helplessly as they hid behind theAurelian Walls.[4] Despite having been forewarned of the intentions of the raiders, Sergius is seen as having not acted adequately enough to prepare for that which eventuated.[5]
^Paul Collins (4 Mar 2014).The Birth of the West: Rome, Germany, France, and the Creation of Europe in the Tenth Century (illustrated, reprint ed.). PublicAffairs. pp. 46–7.ISBN9781610393683.
