Editing Pope Sergius III (section)

== Papal reign ==
By the time the [[Antipope Christopher]] (903–904) seized the chair of [[Saint Peter]] by force, circumstances had changed at Rome, with the rise of the ''[[magister militum]]'' Theophylact of Tusculum, who had been stationed at Rome by the retreating Emperor [[Louis the Blind]] in 902. Putting himself at the head of a faction of the nobility, Theophylact revolted against Christopher and asked Sergius to return to Rome to become pope.<ref name="Mann 113">Mann 1910, p. 113</ref><ref name="De Cormenin 1857, p. 281">De Cormenin 1857, p. 281</ref> Sergius accepted, and with the armed backing of Adalbert II, he entered Rome, by which stage Christopher had already been cast into prison by Theophylact. Sergius was then consecrated pope on 29 January 904.<ref>Mann 1910, p. 121</ref>

Sergius III owed his rise to the power of his new patron Theophylact, and rewarded him with the position of ''[[Vestararius|sacri palatii vestararius]]'', the principal official at the top of papal patronage in control of the disbursements, and thus of patronage. All real power now devolved onto Theophylact, and Sergius essentially became his puppet.  Perhaps the first clear sign of this shift in power was the fate of Sergius' two predecessors, [[Pope Leo V]] and the [[Antipope]] Christopher. According to the pro-Formosan [[Eugenius Vulgarius]], Sergius ordered both men to be strangled in prison some time in early 904.<ref>Eugenius Vulgarius, ''De Causa Formosiana'', xiv.</ref> That both men were murdered during Sergius' pontificate appears probable, although other accounts state that Christopher at least was allowed to retire to a monastery.<ref>Gregorovius 1895, p. 243</ref> Given where the real power lay, it seems more likely that either Theophylact gave the orders directly, or that he directed Sergius to give the orders.<ref>Mann 1910, pp. 114–116; & 138; Gregorovius 1895, pp. 252–254</ref> For the remainder of his pontificate, Sergius [[nepotism|promoted his family]] and members of his aristocratic party to positions of authority and prominence within the church.<ref>Gregorovius 1895, pp. 243–244</ref>

===Activity in Italy===
Pope Sergius III convoked a synod which annulled all the [[ordination]]s of Formosus and required all [[bishop]]s ordained by Formosus to be reordained. It was alleged that Sergius managed to get the consent of the Roman clergy at the synod by threatening them with exile, violence or through the use of bribery.<ref name='Mann 122'>Mann 1910, p. 122</ref> The decision to require reordination was very unpopular, and those affected at sees distant from Rome not only ignored the synod's instructions but wrote letters both condemning the revoking of ordinations and justifying the validity of the original ordinations.<ref>Mann 1910, pp. 122–125; De Cormenin 1857, pp. 282–283</ref>

Confirming his continued support of the anti-Formosus faction, Sergius honoured the murdered [[Pope Stephen VI]] (896–897), who had been responsible for the "[[Cadaver Synod]]" that had condemned and mutilated the corpse of [[Pope Formosus]], by writing a laudatory [[epitaph]] on Stephen VI's tombstone.<ref>Mann 1910, pp. 83 & 121</ref> For centuries it was believed that Sergius then had the much-abused corpse of Formosus exhumed once more, tried, found guilty again, and beheaded, thus in effect conducting a second Cadaver Synod.<ref>Platina, Bartolomeo, ''The Lives of the Popes From The Time Of Our Saviour Jesus Christ to the Accession of Gregory VII'' Vol. I (1888), pg. 243</ref> However, the source for this was [[Liutprand of Cremona]], who mistakenly placed the cadaver synod in the pontificate of Sergius III, instead of Stephen VI.<ref>Mann 1910, p. 83</ref>

Although neither Sergius nor Theophylact supported the continued nominal rule of Emperor [[Louis the Blind]], they were somewhat unwilling to grant the imperial title to the only other contender, [[Berengar I of Italy]]. On the one occasion that Sergius agreed to crown Berengar in around 906, Berengar was prevented from reaching [[Rome]] by the forces of [[Alberic I of Spoleto]] and Adalbert II of Tuscany, both of whom had been supporters of Sergius, but were unhappy with his decision to support Berengar. Nevertheless, Berengar's unwillingness to control his vassals also contributed to the papal reluctance; when Albuinus, the [[margrave of Istria]], began taking papal territory off [[Pope John X|John]], the [[archbishop of Ravenna]], in 907, Sergius had written to Albuinus asking for him to desist.<ref>Mann 1910, pp. 126–127</ref> When Sergius was ignored, the pope wrote to the [[bishop of Pola]] in 910, making it clear that: "he would never bestow the (imperial) crown on Berenger till he promised to take the (Istrian) March from Albuinus, and give it to some better man."<ref name='Mann 127'>Mann 1910, p. 127</ref>

Sergius rebuilt the [[Lateran Palace]], which had been shattered by an earthquake in 896, and then stripped of its treasures by the Antipope Christopher. Sergius refurbished it with objects, images and crucifixes, and decorated its newly built walls with frescos.<ref>Mann 1910, pp. 134–136; Gregorovius 1895, pp. 245–246</ref> In 905 he provided funds to the [[Roman Catholic Suburbicarian Diocese of Porto-Santa Rufina|Church of Silva Candida]], which had been devastated by a [[Saracen]] raid.<ref>Mann 1910, pp. 127–128</ref> He also helped with the rebuilding of [[Nonantola Abbey]], which had suffered attacks from the [[Hungarian people|Magyars]],<ref>Mann 1910, pp. 128–129</ref> and finally he granted privileges to some monasteries and churches in [[West Francia|West]] and [[East Francia]].

===Relations with Constantinople===
Sergius, like his predecessors, continued to defend the [[Filioque]] interpolation into the [[Nicene Creed]], which was at odds with the position of the eastern church. Papal legates who attended the [[Synod of Trosle]] in June 909 attacked the [[Greek Orthodox Church|Byzantine]] position, which the synod then condemned in the fourteenth [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|canon]]:
{{blockquote|Sane quia innotuit nobis sancta sedes apostolica adhuc errores blasphemiasque cuiusdam vigere Photii in partibus orientis in spiritum sanctum, quod non a filio, nisi tantum a patre procedat, blasphemantis. Hortamur vestram fraternitatem una mecum, ut secundum admonitionem domni Romanæ sedis præsulis singuli nostrum perspectis patrum catholicorum sententiis de divinæ scripturæ pharetris acutas proferamus sagittas potentis ad confodiendam beluam monstri renascentis et ad conterebrandum caput nequissimi serpentis.}}
{{blockquote|As the Holy Apostolic See has made known to us that the blasphemous errors of a certain [[Photius]] against the [[Holy Ghost]] are still vigorous in the East, errors which teach that the Holy Spirit proceeds not from the Son but from the Father only we exhort you venerable brethren, together with us, in accordance with the admonition of the ruler of the [[Roman See]], after a careful study of the works of the Fathers, to draw from the quiver of Holy Writ arrows sharp enough to slay the monster which is again springing into life.<ref name='Mann 130'>Mann 1910, p. 130</ref>}}
Almost a century later, this decision led to the removal of Sergius's name from the [[Diptych]]s{{clarify|date=May 2025}} by [[Patriarch Sergius II of Constantinople]].<ref>Mann 1910, pp. 130–131</ref>

However, the major issue with [[Constantinople]] that presented itself during Sergius' pontificate was the question over the fourth marriage of the [[Byzantine Emperor]] [[Leo VI the Wise]]. Both the emperor, who wanted to marry [[Zoe Karbonopsina]], and the [[patriarch of Constantinople]], [[Nicholas Mystikos]], appealed to Sergius; the pope sent [[papal legates|legates]] to Constantinople, who confirmed the pope's ruling in favour of the emperor, on the grounds that fourth marriages had not been condemned by the Church as a whole.<ref name='Treadgold'>Treadgold, Warren ''A History of the Byzantine State and Society'' (1997), pg. 468</ref> Nicholas' refusal to accept this ruling saw him deposed by Leo VI, upon which he too appealed to Sergius, claiming his deposition was unjustified.

===Alleged affair with Marozia===
Sergius' ties with the family of Theophylact were made even closer, at least according to rumour, by Sergius' supposed affair with Theophylact's daughter, [[Marozia]]. This relationship was promoted by Marozia's mother, [[Theodora (senatrix)|Theodora]], and the result of this affair was a male child who in time became [[Pope John XI]] (931–935).<ref>Gregorovius 1895, pp. 244–245; Mann 1910, p. 137</ref> The only source of this alleged affair is the chronicler [[Liutprand of Cremona]], writing some 50 years after the events of Sergius' pontificate. Neither [[Auxilius of Naples]] nor [[Eugenius Vulgarius]], both of whom were exact contemporaries of Sergius, and both of whom were hostile towards Sergius for his attacks on Formosus, mention this allegation at all.<ref>Mann 1910, pp. 137–139</ref> The highly reliable chronicler [[Flodoard]], who also is a contemporary does not mention it either. It should also be noted that Liutprand, as a firm supporter of Emperor [[Otto I]] was often heavily biased against the papacy.<ref>{{Catholic Encyclopedia | last = Mann  | first = Horace Kinder  | wstitle=Pope Sergius III  | volume=13  | page=729  | prescript=}}</ref>

The affair, while not an impossibility, would certainly not have persisted beyond Marozia's marriage to [[Alberic I of Spoleto]] in 909. The question of whether Theophylact and Theodora needed to tie Sergius to them by such means, particularly when Sergius was already deeply indebted to them for his elevation to the papacy, as well as wasting Marozia in a relationship when, as the daughter of an important house, she would have been a valuable tool to link via marriage to another noble house, is open to debate. The birth of the future John XI in 910, after her marriage to Alberic, would seem to indicate that Sergius was not the father.<ref>Gibbon, Edward, Milman, H. H., ''The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, with Notes'' Vol. 3 (1841), pg. 518</ref>

===Death===
Sergius III died on 14 April 911, and was succeeded by [[Pope Anastasius III]]. He was buried in the Church of St. Peter, between the Silver gate and the gate of Ravenna.<ref>Mann 1910, pp. 141–142</ref>