Pope Stephen II
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Pope Stephen II was the bishop of Rome from 752 until his death in 757. Stephen II marks the historical delineation between the Byzantine Papacy and the Frankish Papacy. During Stephen's pontificate,
Miniature of Stephen II, c. 1274
Painting depicting Abbot Fulrad giving Pepin's written guarantee to Stephen II
Fresco in the Sala Regia, Vatican, Pepin III gives Ravenna and the Pentapolis to Pope Stephen II (Girolamo Siciolante da Sermoneta, 1565–68)
Papal States
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The Papal States, officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the ma
Pope Stephen II
…seek assistance from Pepin the Short. Pepin defeated the Lombards and made a gift of land to the pope, eventually leading to the establishment of the Papal States. Stephen was born in Rome, Exarchate of Italy, Eastern Roman Empire. He was a member of the Orsini family…
The Quirinal Palace, 1777
Pope Gregory XVI.
Barricades at Porta San Giovanni, photographed on 21 September 1870, after the breach of the Aurelian Walls
Men and women in traditional dress seated on a rocky outcrop in the Roman countryside, c. 1850–1853