Editing Pope Stephen IV (section)

==Pontificate==
Immediately after his consecration Stephen ordered the Roman people to swear fidelity to Emperor Louis, after which Stephen sent envoys to the emperor notifying him of his election, and to arrange a meeting between the two at the emperor's convenience.<ref>Mann, pgs. 112–113</ref> With Louis' invitation, Stephen left Rome in August 816. Louis's nephew, King [[Bernard of Italy]], was ordered to accompany Stephen to the emperor and the two crossed the Alps together.<ref>Mann, pgs. 113–114</ref> In early October, the pope and the emperor met at [[Rheims]], where Louis prostrated himself three times before Stephen.<ref>Mann, pg. 114</ref> At Mass on Sunday, 5 October 816, Stephen [[anointed]] Louis as emperor, [[coronation of the Holy Roman Emperor|placing a crown]] on his head that was claimed to belong to [[Constantine the Great]].<ref>Duffy, pg. 77</ref> At the same time he also crowned Louis' wife, [[Ermengarde of Hesbaye]], and saluted her as ''[[Augusta (honorific)|augusta]]''.<ref>Mann, pg. 115</ref> This event has been seen as an attempt by the papacy to establish a role in the creation of an emperor, which had been placed in doubt by Louis' self-coronation in 813.<ref>Duffy, pg. 78</ref>

Louis gave Stephen a number of presents, including an estate of land (most likely at [[Vendeuvre-sur-Barse]]) granted to the Roman church.<ref>Mann, pg. 117–118</ref> They also renewed the pact between the popes and the kings of the [[Franks]], confirming the privileges of the Roman church, and the continued existence of the recently emerged [[Papal States]].<ref>Mann, pg. 118</ref> Stephen also raised Bishop [[Theodulf of Orléans]] to the rank of [[archbishop]], and had Louis release from their exile all political prisoners originally from Rome who had been held by the emperor resulting from the conflict that plagued the early part of Pope Leo III's reign.<ref>Mann, pgs. 118–119</ref> It is also believed that Stephen asked Louis to enforce reforms for the clergy who lived under the [[Chrodegang of Metz|Rule of Chrodegang]]. This included ensuring that the men and women who lived there were to stay in separate convents, and that they were to hold the houses under a title of common property. He also regulated how much food and wine they could consume.<ref>Louis Marie DeCormenin; James L. Gihon, ''A Complete History of the Popes of Rome, from Saint Peter, the First Bishop to Pius the Ninth'', (1857) pg. 212</ref>

After visiting [[Ravenna]] on his way back from Rheims, Stephen returned to Rome before the end of November 816.<ref>Mann, pg. 119</ref> Here, he apparently discontinued Leo III's policies of favouring 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]] eleison as well as a yearly payment to the Roman Church of ten golden [[Solidus (coin)|solidi]], Stephen died on 24 January 817.<ref>Mann, pgs. 119–120</ref> He was buried at St. Peter's, and was succeeded by [[Paschal I]].<ref>Artaud de Montor, ''The lives and times of the Roman Pontiffs, from St. Peter to Pius IX'' Volume 1 (1867), pg. 94</ref>