Editing Pope Stephen IX (section)

===Secular politics===
[[File:Italy 1000 AD.svg|thumb|Italy in the 11th century]]
Stephen was planning for the expulsion of the [[Norman conquest of southern Italy|Normans from southern Italy]].<ref>Gregorovius, pp. 110–111.</ref> At some point in 1057 or 1058, he held a synod in which the citizens of Capua, the capital of the Norman principality, and a cleric named Lando were excommunicated.<ref name="Jaffé, p. 554"/> In order to advance his aims in the south, he decided, at the beginning of 1058, to send a delegation to the new Byzantine Emperor [[Isaac I Komnenos]] (1057–1059). The legates were Cardinal Stephen, the Benedictine abbot of the monastery of Ss. Andrea e Gregorio in Rome; Cardinal Mainard, a Benedictine monk of Montecassino; and [[Pope Victor III|Desiderius]], the Benedictine abbot-elect of Montecassino.<ref>Jaffé, p. 555, no. 4382.</ref> The delegates left Rome and reached Byzantine-held [[Bari]]. But there they heard a report that Stephen IX had died, and so the mission was abandoned.{{sfn|Bloch|1986|p=38}}

After his recovery from his fever, Pope Stephen returned to Rome, and on 8 March 1058, consecrated Bishop [[Alfanus I]] of Salerno. In mid-March, he ordered the provost of Montecassino to collect all of the gold and silver of his church and secretly send it immediately to Rome; the pope promised that he would soon return it, with interest. Despite their deep distress, the monks complied, sending the provost with the gold and silver to the pope. The provost was on his way home when the pope called him back and returned Montecassino's treasure. Pope Stephen, however was relieved, by force on the part of the Romans, of the treasure which he had brought to Rome from Constantinople.<ref>''[[Annales Romani]]'', in: ''Monumenta Germaniae Historia Scriptorum Tomus V'' (Hannover: Hahn 1844), p. 470: ''"...Sed totum thesaurum quod ipse a Constantinopolim conduxit, per vim Romani abstulerunt. Unde in ira commotus de Roma egressus est."''</ref> The pope was planning the elevation of his brother to the imperial throne.<ref>Gregorovius IV, p. 110.</ref> For this purpose, and, if the Roman annals are to be believed, out of anger at being plundered, he set out on a journey to Tuscany, planning to crown and lead his brother back to Rome, and from there march against the Normans.<ref>Leo Marsicanus, ''Chronica Monasterii Cassinensis'', Book II. 97, in: ''Monumenta Germaniae Historia Scriptorum Tomus VII'' (Hannover: Hahn 1846), p. 694: ''"Disponebat autem fratri suo Gotfrido apud Tusciam in colloquium iungi, eique ut ferebatur, imperialem coronam largiri..."''</ref> Before he departed Rome, the pope summoned a meeting of the bishops, clergy, and people of Rome, and strictly commanded them (''sub districta nimis interdictione constituit'') that if he should die before the return of the subdeacon Hildebrand from the imperial court, they should on no account proceed to the election of a pope, but await Hildebrand's return.<ref>Leo Marsicanus, ''Chronica Monasterii Cassinensis'', Book II. 98, MGH p. 694.</ref>

As he was travelling from Rome to Florence by way of Arezzo, Pope Stephen conceived of the idea of visiting Abbot [[John Gualbert]] at [[Vallombrosa Abbey]]. He asked for an interview, and John refused, naming illness as his excuse. The pope asked a second time, and received a second refusal. The pope then moved on to Florence without the two ever having come face to face.<ref>Wattendorff, pp. 53–54. U. Robert, p. 50.</ref>