Pope Stephen IV

Leo III, having renovated and beautified the churches in Rome during his pontificate, dies in 816.

His replacement, the son of a Roman noble called Marinus, belongs to the same family that produced the Popes Sergius II and Adrian II.

At a young age he was raised at the Lateran Palace during the pontificate of Pope Adrian I, and it was under Stephen's predecessor Pope Leo III that he was first ordained a Subdeacon before he was subsequently made a Deacon.

Very popular among the Roman people, within ten days of Leo III’s death, he is escorted to Saint Peter’s Basilica and consecrated Bishop of Rome on June 22, 816, as Stephen IV.

His rapid election may have been an attempt by the Roman clergy to ensure that the Roman emperor could not interfere in the election.

Immediately after his consecration he orders the Roman people to swear fidelity to the Frankish king and Roman emperor Louis the Pious, after which Stephen sends envoys to the emperor notifying him of his election, and to arrange a meeting between the two at the emperor’s convenience.

Bernard is the illegitimate son of King Pepin of Italy, the second legitimate son of the Emperor Charles.

Despite his status, Charles had allowed him to inherit Italy after the death of Pepin in 810.

Bernard married a woman named Cunigunde, but the year of their marriage, and her origins are obscure; spuriously she has been called "of Laon".

They have one son, Pepin, Count of Vermandois.

Bernard is a trusted agent of his grandfather, and of his uncle.

His rights in Italy are respected, and he is used as an intermediary to manage events in his sphere of influence—for example, when in 815 Louis the Pious receives reports that some Roman nobles had conspired to murder Pope Leo III, and that he had responded by butchering the ringleaders, Bernard had been sent to investigate the matter.

Stephen, with Louis’ invitation, leaves Rome in August 816, crossing the Alps together with Bernard, the King of the Lombards, who has been ordered to accompany Stephen to the emperor.

The Early Reign of Louis the Pious and the 816 Papal Coronation

Following his accession in 814, Louis the Pious surrounds himself with trusted advisors, continuing some of his father’s ministers while introducing new figures to his court. Among his chief counselors are:

• Bernard, Margrave of Septimania, a powerful noble in southern Gaul.
• Ebbo, Archbishop of Reims, an ambitious churchman born a serf, whom Louis elevates to high office—though he will later betray the emperor.
• Elisachar, Abbot of St. Maximin near Trier, and Hildebold, Archbishop of Cologne, both retained from Charlemagne’s administration.
• Benedict of Aniane, a Visigothic monastic reformer, tasked with strengthening the Frankish Church.

Benedict of Aniane and the Reform of Monastic Life

Benedict of Aniane, often called the Second Benedict, enforces a major religious reform:

• He ensures that all monastic houses in Louis' realm adhere to the Rule of Saint Benedict, originally formulated by Benedict of Nursia (480–550)—the First Benedict.
• This reform standardizes monastic discipline, reinforcing the importance of communal prayer, manual labor, and study as the pillars of monastic life.

The Papal Coronation of Louis the Pious (816)

In October 816, Pope Stephen IV travels north to meet Louis the Pious at Reims, where the emperor prostrates himself three times before the Pope, demonstrating his piety and submission to the Church.

On Sunday, October 5, 816, during Mass, Stephen formally anoints and crowns Louis as emperor, placing on his head a crown claimed to have belonged to Constantine the Great. At the same time, he also crowns Louis’ wife, Ermengarde of Hesbaye, and salutes her as Augusta.

This event serves multiple purposes:

• It reinforces papal authority in the imperial coronation process, especially after Louis had self-coronated in 813 at the behest of Charlemagne.
• It reaffirms the alliance between the Frankish rulers and the papacy, solidifying the Papal States and their privileges.
• It emphasizes that imperial legitimacy is granted not just by heredity or conquest, but also through papal approval.

Diplomatic Agreements and Religious Reforms

While at Louis’ court, Pope Stephen IV secures:

• A land grant, likely at Vendeuvre-sur-Barse, reinforcing the Church’s growing territorial independence.
• The renewal of the Frankish-papal alliance, confirming the privileges of the Roman Church and the continued sovereignty of the Papal States.
• The promotion of Theodulf of Orléans to archbishop, a significant elevation in the Frankish ecclesiastical hierarchy.
• The release of Roman political prisoners, exiled during the turbulent reign of Pope Leo III.

Stephen also urges Louis to enforce reforms among the clergy living under the Rule of Chrodegang, including:

• The strict separation of men and women in religious communities.
• The requirement that monastic property be held in common, ensuring no individual accumulation of wealth.
• Regulations on food and wine consumption, reinforcing a disciplined clerical lifestyle.

The Coronation of 816: A Turning Point in Frankish-Papal Relations

The 816 coronation of Louis the Pious is a significant moment in the history of the Frankish Empire and the papacy. It marks a shift from Charlemagne’s imperial self-reliance to a more church-dependent rule, paving the way for increasing papal influence over the empire’s affairs. This coronation foreshadows the medieval struggles between secular rulers and the papacy, as both seek to define the limits of imperial and ecclesiastical power in Europe.

After visiting Ravenna on his way back from Reims, Stephen had returned before the end of November 816 to Rome, where he apparently discontinued Leo III’s policies of favoring clergy over lay aristocracy.

After holding the traditional ordination of priests and bishops in December and confirming Farfa Abbey’s possessions on condition that every day the monks would recite one hundred “Kyrie Eleisons” as well as a yearly payment to the Roman Church of ten golden solidi, Stephen dies on January 24, 817.

He is buried at St. Peter’s.

At some point, Stephen will be canonized as a saint of the Catholic Church.

The abbot of Santo Stefano Rotondo, Pascale Massimi, a native of Rome and son of Bonosus and Lady Theodora, is raised to the pontificate as Paschal I by the acclamation of the clergy less than a day after the death of Pope Stephen IV.

This decision occurs before the sanction of the emperor Louis the Pious has been obtained, and in a circumstance for which it is one of his first tasks to apologize.

He advises the emperor that the decision had been made to avoid factional strife in Rome, and his papal legate Theodore supposedly returned with a document titled Pactum cum Pashali pontiff, in which the Emperor congratulated Paschal, recognized his sovereignty over the Papal States and guaranteed the free election of future pontiffs.

This document will be challenged by later historians as a forgery as Paschal’s relations with the imperial house are never cordial, and he will have no success in winning the sympathy of the Roman nobles.

The Revolt of Bernard of Italy and His Surrender (817)

In 817, Louis the Pious issues the Ordinatio Imperii, a decree intended to regulate the succession of the Frankish Empire and prevent dynastic fragmentation. The ordinance formally designates Lothair I, Louis’ eldest son, as co-emperor, while his younger sons Pepin and Louis the German receive Aquitaine and Bavaria as subordinate kingdoms.

However, the Ordinatio Imperii places Bernard of Italy, Charlemagne’s illegitimate grandson and ruler of the Kingdom of Italy, in an uncertain and subordinate position. Though still nominally King of Italy, Bernard is now clearly subordinate to Lothair I, threatening his autonomy. Upon learning of this development, Bernard begins plotting for independence, fearing the gradual absorption of his kingdom into the empire.

Louis the Pious’ Swift Response

Louis, learning of Bernard’s discontent and suspected rebellion, acts decisively. Instead of allowing time for Bernard to gather support, Louis mobilizes his army immediately and marches toward Italy. By moving swiftly, he prevents Bernard from organizing an effective resistance.

Stopping at Chalon-sur-Saône, Louis sends an invitation to Bernard, offering him a meeting. Realizing he is outmatched and unprepared for war, Bernard, intimidated by the emperor’s rapid action, has no choice but to surrender at Chalon.

This surrender, however, will not save him from Louis' wrath, as the emperor seeks to eliminate any potential challenge to his authority. What follows is one of the most tragic episodes of Louis the Pious' reign.

Bernard is taken to Aachen by Louis, who here has him tried and condemned to death for treason.

Louis has the sentence commuted to blinding, which is duly carried out; Bernard does not survive the ordeal, however, dying after two days of agony.

Others also suffer: Theodulf of Orléans, in eclipse since the death of Charles, is accused of having supported the rebellion, and is thrown into a monastic prison, where he dies soon after—poisoned, it is rumored.

The fate of his nephew will deeply mark Louis's conscience for the rest of his life.