What is it about?
After the deposition of the last Roman emperor in the West in 476 the popes appear to have taken assumed the political rule of role in addition to their role as bishop of Rome. This article explores how, and looks in particular at the evidence in a contemporary history of the popes, written within papal circles and known as the Liber pontificalis for apple self-representation and imperial emulation.
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Why is it important?
Current assumptions are that the popes were under Byzantine control during this early medieval period but this article argues instead, by a critical reading of a major papal source, that the rule and style of the bishops of Rome after the deposition of the last Roman emperor in the West in 476 had many imperial elements, and developed its own independent power.
Perspectives
This is one of a number of studies I have written about the popes and the papacy in the early Middle Ages, particularly with reference to the fascinating serial biography of the popes known as the Liber pontificalis. All these studies are part of my preparatory work for a book on Rome and the invention o the papacy in the era middle ages.
Prof. Rosamond D McKitterick
University of Cambridge
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Popes as Rulers of Rome in the Aftermath of Empire, 476–769, Studies in Church History, May 2018, Cambridge University Press,
DOI: 10.1017/stc.2017.5.
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