Pope Marinus I
| Pope Marinus I | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Rome | |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Papacy began | 16 December 882 |
| Papacy ended | 15 May 884 |
| Predecessor | John VIII |
| Successor | Adrian III |
| Previous post | Bishop of Caere |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 830 Gallese, Papal States |
| Died | 15 May 884 (aged c. 54) Rome, Papal States[1] |
| Other popes named Marinus | |
Pope Marinus I (/məˈraɪnəs/ mə-RY-nəs; died 15 May 884) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 882 until his death on 15 May 884. Controversially at the time, he was already a bishop when he became pope, and had served as papal legate to Constantinople. He was also erroneously called Pope Martin II (Latin: Martinus II) leading to the second pope named Martin to take the name Martin IV.[2]
Ecclesiastical career
Diplomat to the East
Born at Gallese, Marinus was the son of a priest. He would become an expert on relations with the Eastern church, starting this path when he assisted as subdeacon the welcome of ambassadors of emperor Michael III in 860.[3] He was ordained as a deacon by Pope Nicholas I[4] and then sent in 866 to Constantinople to discuss the religious leadership over the newly converted Bulgarians though the embassy was turned back at the Byzantine border.[3] Marinus was sent again in 869 as one of pope Adrian II's legates who presided over the eighth ecumenical council in Constantinople which deposed the Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople. His profile became popular after and some time afterwards he became bishop of Caere, possibly to prevent his becoming archbishop of Bulgaria as one of king Boris' favourite candidates.[3]
On three occasions, he had been employed by the three popes who preceded him as legate to Constantinople, his mission in each case having reference to the controversy started by Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople.[4] In 882, he was sent on behalf of Pope John VIII to Duke Athanasius of Naples to warn him not to trade with the Muslims of southern Italy.[5] During that time, he also served as treasurer to the Holy See.[3]
Papacy
Marinus I was elected to succeed John VIII as bishop of Rome from around the end of December 882. This papal election was controversial because Marinus had already been consecrated as bishop of Caere; at the time, a bishop was expected never to move to another see. Among his first acts as pope were the reinstatement of Formosus as cardinal bishop of Portus and the anathematizing of Photius I.[6] Due to his respect for Alfred the Great (r. 871–899), he freed the Anglo-Saxons of the Schola Anglorum in Rome from tribute and taxation.[6] He also is recorded to have sent a piece of the True Cross to Alfred as a gift.[7] He died in May 884 and was buried in St. Peter's basilica in Rome, his successor being Adrian III.[3]
Name error
Because of the similarity of the names, Marinus I and Marinus II were, in some sources, mistakenly called Martinus II and Martinus III.[8]
From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia
Pope Marinus I (882-884)
There is reason for believing that Marinus I was elected on the very day of the death of John VIII (16 Dec., 882), and that he was consecrated without waiting for the consent of the incompetent emperor, Charles the Fat. If the actual date of his election is uncertain, that of his death is still more so; but it was perhaps 15 May 884. In the seventh century there was a pope, St. Martinus I, and, owing to the similarity between the names Martinus and Marinus, some chroniclers called Pope Marinus Martinus. Hence, some modern historians have erroneously described the two popes Marinus as Martinus II and Martinus III respectively, and the successor of Nicholas III called himself Martinus IV. Marinus about whom but little is known, had a distinguished career before he became pope. He was the son of the priest Palumbo, was born at Gallese, and was attached to the Roman Church at the age of twelve. Leo IV ordained him sub-deacon, and, after he had been made a deacon, he was sent on three important embassies to Constantinople. The second time he went there (869) to preside, as one of the legates of Adrian II, over the Eighth General Council. John VIII, who made him Bishop of Cære (Cervetri), treasurer (arcarius) of the Roman Church, and archdeacon, despatched him on that mission to Constantinople, which resulted m his imprisonment for his firmness in carrying out his instructions. Although a bishop he was elected to succeed John VIII, whose policy he partly abandoned and partly followed. In the hope of lessening the factions in Rome, he, most unfortunately as the sequel proved, reversed the action of his predecessor regarding Bishop Formosus of Porte, whom he absolved from all censures, and permitted to return to Rome. But Marinus vigourously upheld the policy of John VIII with regard to Photius, whom he himself condemned. Trusting to get support from Charles the Fat, he met that useless emperor in 833. But, unable to help himself, Charles could do nothing for others. Marinus sent the pallium to the distinguished Fulk of Reims, and, at the request of King Alfred of England, freed from all taxes the Schola Anglorum, or headquarters of the English in Rome. Marinus was buried in the portico of St. Peter's.
JAFFE, Regesta Pont. Rom., I (Leipzig, 1885); Liber Pontif., II, ed. DUCHESNE; Annals of Fulda and other annals in Mon. Germ. Script., I; DUCHESNE, The Beginning of the Temporal Sovereignty of the Popes (London, 1908), 187 sq.; MANN, Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages. III, 353 sqq.
References
- Back to citation The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Marinus I". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- Back to citation Mann, Horace (1910). "Pope Marinus I". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved February 23, 2026. “In some of the catalogues the name Marinus was through a mistake changed into Martinus, so that Marinus I and II appear as Martinus II and III. Consequently when Simon de Brie became Pope he called himself Martinus IV.”
- Back to citation occurrence 3.0 Back to citation occurrence 3.1 Back to citation occurrence 3.2 Back to citation occurrence 3.3 Back to citation occurrence 3.4 Levillain, Philippe; O'Malley, John W., eds. (2002). "Marinus I". The Papacy: Gaius-Proxies. Psychology Press. pp. 969–970. ISBN 978-0-415-92230-2. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- Back to citation occurrence 4.0 Back to citation occurrence 4.1 McBrien, Richard P. (2000). Lives of the Popes: The Pontiffs from St. Peter to Benedict XVI. HarperCollins. p. 142. ISBN 9780060878078.
- Back to citation Philippe Levillain (1 Jan 2002). The Papacy: Gaius-Proxies (illustrated ed.). Psychology Press. p. 969. ISBN 9780415922302.
- Back to citation occurrence 6.0 Back to citation occurrence 6.1 "Pope Marinus I; Martin II". New Catholic Dictionary. 2008. Archived from the original on 1 February 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
- Back to citation Studies in the Early History of Shaftesbury Abbey, Dorset County Council, 1999
- Back to citation Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Pope Marinus I". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
Further reading
- Dvornik, Francis (1948). The Photian Schism: History and Legend. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.