Pope Valentine (Latin:Valentinus; died 10 October 827) was thebishop of Rome and ruler of thePapal States for two months in 827. He was unusually close to his predecessor,Eugene II, rumoured to be Valentine's father or lover, and becamepope before beingordained as a priest. He was a nobleman andelected by nobility, which later became the custom.
Born in Rome in the region of theVia Lata, Valentine was the son of aRoman noble called Leontius.[1] Showing an early aptitude for learning, he was moved from the school attached to theLateran Palace and, according to theLiber Pontificalis, was made adeacon byPope Paschal I (817–824).[2] His biographer in theLiber Pontificalis praises his piety and purity of morals, which won him the favor of Paschal I, who raised him to the rank ofarchdeacon.[3] He also was clearly favoured by Paschal's successor,Eugene II, to the point where rumours were circulated that Valentine was really Eugene's son. According to Louis-Marie DeCormenin, other rumours declared that Valentine and Eugene were involved in an illicit relationship.[4]
TheLateran Palace as it looked in the 14th century; it had not changed significantly since the 9th.
With the death of Eugene II, Valentine wasacclaimed as pope by the Roman clergy, nobility and people. They took him from theBasilica di Santa Maria Maggiore and installed him in theLateran Palace, ignoring his protests. In their haste, they enthroned him before he wasordained a priest. This was an unusual reversal of the normal proceedings, and in fact was the first time it had happened in the recorded history of thepapacy, although it would be repeated during the pontificate ofBenedict III.[5] On the following Sunday, he was formallyconsecrated bishop atSt. Peter's Basilica. There were no imperial representatives present during the election, and Valentine had no opportunity to ratify his election with theCarolingian emperor, as he was dead within five weeks, dying on 10 October 827.[6][7]
The election of Valentine was another sign of the increased influence the Roman nobility was having in the papal electoral process. Not only had they managed to get one of their own elected, but they also took part in the election itself. TheLateran Council of 769, underStephen III, had mandated that the election of the pope was to be the responsibility of the Roman clergy only, and that the nobility could only offer their respects after the pope had been chosen and enthroned. This council's edict had been abrogated, however, withthe Ludowicianum of 817, which provided that the Roman lay nobility would participate in papal elections.[8] This gradual encroachment into the papal electoral process would reach its nadir during the tenth century, when thepapacy became the plaything of the Roman aristocracy.[9]
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