From The Lives of the Popes from the Time of our Saviour Jesus Christ to the Accession of Gregory VII. Written Originally in Latin by B. Platina, Native of Cremona, and translated into English (from an anonymous translation, first printed in 1685 by Sir Paul Rycaut), Edited by William Benham, Volume I, London: Griffith, Farran, Okeden & Welsh, [1888, undated in text]; pp. 198-204.
The Lives of the Popes,
BY
B. Platina
Volume I.
ADRIAN I.
A.D. 772-795.
ADRIAN the First, a Roman, son of Theodorus, one of the prime nobility, entering upon the pontificate, degenerated not at all from his ancestors; being a person, who, for his greatness of mind, prudence, learning, and sanctity, may be compared with the best of Popes; and of whose 199 interest and authority Desiderius, King of the Lombards, had such apprehensions, that he presently sent ambassadors to treat of a peace and alliance with him. But Adrian being acquainted with the extreme perfidiousness of that king, deferred the concluding anything therein to another time. Now, after the death of Carloman, his relict Bertha, out of envy towards the grandeur of Hildegarda, the great Charles’s consort, by the advice of one Adoarius, flies with her sons into Italy to King Desiderius, who received her very kindly and honourably, both because he thought he should by this means be less in danger from the power of France, and also reckoned that the French upon setting up Carloman’s sons would the sooner appear in arms against King Charles if he should give him any disturbance. But not being able by entreaties to prevail with Adrian to anoint these sons of Carloman kings, he applies himself to forcible means, and invading the State of Ravenna, which was under the Pope’s jurisdiction, he takes Faenza and Comacchio. Ravenna was at this time under the government of its Archbishop and three tribunes, who forthwith desired aid of Adrian. The Pope at first sends to Desiderius, admonishing him to contain himself within his own territories, and not to invade the rights of the Church. But understanding afterwards that this king had also possessed himself of Urbino, Sinigaglia, and Eugubio, he then began to threaten him with the approach of Divine vengeance towards him for the violation of peace. To which the Lombard made no other reply, than that Adrian ought to quit the interest of the French King, and to be of his side. For it was his great design to make a breach between Charles and the Pope; which when he could not obtain by solicitations and promises, he threatened to besiege Rome itself within a little time. He was already come to Spoleto, with Aldagasius, Carloman’s son, but intended to march from thence to Rome, though in a peaceable manner, and, as he pretended, out of devotion. But Adrian having caused the relics of all the churches without the walls to be brought into the city, sends three bishops to Desiderius to forbid him entering the confines of Rome upon pain of excommunication, who thereupon fearing lest he might incur the Divine displeasure, presently returned into Lombardy. In the meantime Charles receiving from Adrian intelligence of the injury which had been done him, sends ambassadors 200 to Desiderius to persuade him to restore what he had wrongfully taken from the Pope, or otherwise to let him know that he would soon visit him with such an army as should oblige him to it. Desiderius, notwithstanding all this, refuses it, and soon on both sides great armies are prepared. But Charles having sent some part of his forces before to secure the Passes of the Alps, with wonderful expedition leads the main body of his army over Mont Cenis into Italy, where encountering Desiderius, he vanquishes and puts him to flight, and then takes and spoils his whole country. Desiderius after so great an overthrow despairing to get the better in a pitched battle, retreats to Pavia, having sent his wife and children to Verona. And the people of Spoleto, Rieti, and all the Lombards inhabiting those parts, hearing his misfortune, betake themselves to Rome, and commit their persons and estates to the Pope’s protection, taking an oath of fidelity to him, and shaving their heads and beards, which among that people was the greatest sign and token of a perfect submission to his power and jurisdiction. By their example those of Ancona, Osimo, and Firmo did the like. Now to such of these Lombards as were unwilling to return into their own country, the Vatican Hill was granted them to inhabit and seat themselves in; whither afterwards there was from all parts a great concourse of others their countrymen, who chose to live there. But Charles leaving his cousin-german Bernardus at the siege of Pavia, marches with part of his army to Verona, which city, upon the inclination of Bertha and Carloman’s sons to the French side, in a little time after surrendered to him; though Adelgisus, Desiderius’s son, escaping thence fled to the Emperor of Constantinople. Almost all the cities of Lombardy beyond the Po having in like manner yielded to Charles, he goes towards Rome, that he might there celebrate the feast of Easter with the Pope. At his approach to the city, he was in compliment met by three thousand judges, as Anastasius tells us, calling them judges who were not handicraftsmen or did not exercise any mean trades. Adrian with his clergy expected him at the steps of St Peter’s, and at his coming embraced him with all imaginable affection, but could not restrain the humble king from kissing his feet. The usual salutations and respects having passed on both sides, they entered the church, and being come up to the altar, Charles and the Pope, the Romans and the French, took a mutual 201 oath to maintain a perpetual friendship, and to be enemies to the enemies of each other. At which, Charles making his entrance into the city, devoutly visited all the churches, and made several presents to them. Four days after his being there, he by oath confirmed and amply enlarged the donation of his father Pipin to Gregory the Third, containing, according to Anastasius, in Liguria all that reaches from the long-since demolished city Luna to the Alps, the Isle of Corsica, and the whole tract between Lucca and Parma, together with Friuli, the exarchate of Ravenna, and the Dukedoms of Spoleto and Beneventum. These affairs being thus settled, Charles, taking his leave of Adrian, returns into Lombardy, and becomes master of Pavia on the sixth month after the investing of it. Towards Desiderius however he was so favourable, as that though he bereft him of his kingdom, yet he spared his life, and only confined him with his wife and children to Lyons. Advancing thence against Arachis, Duke of Beneventum, who was son-in-law to Desiderius, and had been an abettor of his rash proceedings, he soon forced him to sue for a peace, and received his two sons for hostages. After this in his passage farther he religiously visited Mount Cassino, and confirmed all the grants which had been made by other princes to the monastery of St Benedict. And so the affairs of all Italy being composed, and strong guards left in the most important places of Lombardy, he returns with great spoil and mighty glory into his kingdom of France, carrying with him his brother Carloman’s relict and sons, whom he always treated with respect and honour; and also Paul, a deacon of the church of Aquileia, a person for his parts and learning highly beloved by Desiderius, to whom he gave his freedom, and had for some time a great esteem for him. But understanding afterwards that the man was assisting to a design of Desiderius’s flight, he banished him into the island of Tremiti; from whence after some years making his escape, and coming to Arachis, at the request of Adelperga, daughter to Desiderius and the wife of Arachis, he added two books to the history of Eutropius, giving an account of what passed from the time of the Emperor Julian to that of Justinian the first. After the death of Arachis, he betook himself to the monastery of Cassino, where, leading the remainder of his life very devoutly, he oftentimes wrote elegant and obliging letters to Charles, and received again the like from that king, 202 who had preserved him for the sake of his learning. Thus ended the kingdom of the Lombards, in the two hundred and fourth year after their coming into Italy, and in the year of our Lord seven hundred and seventy-four. Charles now without any delay marches against the idolatrous Saxons, who during his absence in Italy had rebelled; utterly subdues that people, with whom he had been engaged in war for thirty years before, and compels them to receive Christianity. Then turning his army against the Spaniards, who were also fallen away from the faith, he took the cities of Pampeluna and Saragossa, and permitted his soldiers to plunder them; not granting a peace to these Spaniards, but upon condition they would entirely embrace the Christian doctrine. After this returning into France, matters having went according to his mind, as he passed the Pyrenean Hills he fell into an ambuscade of the Gascons, in engaging with whom, though he gallantly defended himself, yet he lost Anselmus and Egibardus, two brave commanders. Some tell us that in this encounter Rolandus, Charles’ sister’s son, perished, after he had made a great slaughter of the enemy; though, whether he died of thirst, as commonly said, or of the wounds he received, is uncertain. At length these Gascons were vanquished by Charles, and received from him the deserved punishment of their revolt and perfidy. At this time, Taxillo, Duke of Bavaria, Desiderius’s son-in-law, having gained the Huns to be on his side, made an attempt of war against the French, which yet Charles by his great expedition almost made an end of before it was quite begun; and to him also, upon hostages given, he granted a peace. While these things were transacting in France, Constantine, emperor of the East, was seized with a leprosy (from whence perhaps arose the groundless opinion of the leprosy of Constantine the Great, through the confusion of their names), and dying, left Leo the Fourth his successor; who so strangely doted upon precious stones, that robbing the church of St Sophia of its jewels, he made with them a crown of a vast weight and value, which he wore so often, that either through the weight, or from the coldness of the stones in it, he shortly fell sick and died. The same I believe to have happened in our time to Paul the Second, who so effeminately prided himself in such ornaments, almost exhausting the treasury of the Church to purchase jewels at any rate, that as often as he appeared publicly, 203 instead of wearing a plain mitre, he looked like the picture of Cybele with turrets on her head; from whence, what with the weight of the jewels and the sweat of his gross body, I am apt to think arose that apoplexy of which he died suddenly. After the death of Leo, his relict Irene and his son Constantine managed the empire. In a council of three hundred and fifty bishops held the second time at Nice, it was decreed, that whosoever maintained that the images of the saints were to be destroyed, should be censured with perpetual excommunication. But young Constantine, through the persuasion of some ill men about him, treading in the footsteps of his father, soon after revoked this constitution, and wholly deprived his mother of any share in the administration of affairs. Then putting away his wife, he received to his bed, and caused to be crowned empress, Theodora, one of her maids. Moreover, he gave order to those commanders he had in Italy, to give disturbance to their neighbours; but they were at the first message terrified from any attempts by the prevailing authority of Charles, who at this time was advancing with his forces against the Sclaves and Huns (or we may call them Hungarians) because by their incursions they had molested all the country about the Danube; whom having vanquished, he marched into Franconia the country of his ancestors, from whence the Franks or French derive their name; which province he with ease brought to his devotion. Two years after, Theophylact and Stephen, two bishops of great note, held a synod of Frank and German bishops at Frankfort, wherein that which the Greeks called the seventh synod, and the Felician heresy touching the destruction of images, was condemned. Adrian being now by the interest and power of Charles secured from the fear of any warlike incursions, applies himself to the repairing the city, beautifying the churches, restoring the aqueducts, and such like public works, which I need not particularly enumerate, performed at his vast expence. But while he was employed in these matters, there happened such an inundation of the river Tiber, as bore down a principal gate, and bridge, and several buildings of the city, and did otherwise great damage. In this extremity Adrian took care to send boats to convey provisions to such as, while the waters were so high, could not stir out of their houses. And afterwards he comforted with his advice, and supported with his charity, the principal sufferers in that calamity; nor did he 204 spare any cost in repairing the public loss. In short, Adrian left nothing undone, that became a good prince and excellent Pope; defending the Christian religion, maintaining the Roman liberty, and asserting the cause of the poor, the orphans, and widows. After he had held the chair with great honour twenty-three years, ten months, he died, and was buried in St Peter’s, December the 27th.
Previous Pope: 95. Stephen IV. 96. Adrian I. Next Pope: 98. Leo III.