The Papacy and Charles the Great

As we saw, Leo I and his successors down to Pope Zacharias (741-752) had limited their ambition to the extension of key power over the whole Christian church. But in the person of Pope Zacharias, the papacy made a beginning of appropriating the magisterial power as well. We saw how it got its start in this. The Lombards were threatening Rome. By sanctioning his contemplated usurpation and by fantastic promises, the pope induced Pepin of France to come to his aid. Pepin marched into Italy,...