Hadrianos 1 was bishop of Rome (pope Hadrian I) from 772 to 795. A native of Rome, he was the son of Theodoros 173 and was descended from a leading Roman family; he lived in the Via Lata region of Rome: Lib. Pont. 97. 1 ("Hadrianus, natione Romanus, ex patre Theodoro, de regione Via Lata ... vir valde praeclarus et nobilissimi generis prosapia ortus atque potentissimis romanis parentibus editus").

Hadrianos 1 inherited a number of family estates, including one called Capracorum ("fundum ipsum Capracorum, cum aliis plurimis fundis ei coherentibus ex hereditaria parentum suorum successione tenere videbatur, eius proprii olim existentes") in the territory of Veii fifteen miles from Rome ("posita territorio Vigentano, miliario ab urbe Roma plus minus XV") which he later donated to St Peter and made into a domusculta: Lib. Pont. 97. 54, cf. 97. 69 ("in domoculta quae appellatur Capracorum, quam ex iure proprio suo offeruit pro alimoniis pauperum beato Petro").

Hadrianos 1's father and then his mother died while he was still a child and he was brought up by his uncle Theodotus (Theodotos 17); from boyhood and while still a layman he concentrated on spiritual studies and on chaste conduct, spending much time in the neighbouring church of St Mark singing the praises of God; he wore a hair shirt and practised fasting and was generous in his donations to the poor; his fame spread throughout Rome and he attracted the attention of pope Paul (Paulos 49) (757-767) who had him made a cleric, making him first a regional notarius of the church and then a subdeacon ("quem notarium regionarium in ecclesia constituens, postmodum eum subdiaconum fecit"); after the death of Paulos 49, the next bishop of Rome, Stephen IV (III) (Stephanos 84) promoted him to the position of deacon ("in diaconii ordinem eum provexit"): Lib. Pont. 97. 2-3.

At the death of pope Stephen IV (III) (Stephanos 84) Hadrianos 1 was elected to be his successor, with enthusiastic popular support: Lib. Pont. 97. 4. The date was 772. His first act was to recall from exile the Roman authorities ("iudices illos huius Romanae urbis, tam de clero quamque militia") whom Paulus Afiarta (Paulos 51) had sent into exile when pope Stephen IV (III) (Stephanos 84) lay dying; he also released all other similar captives from prison, and celebrated his consecration amid general rejoicing: Lib. Pont. 97. 4.

Hadrianos 1 soon received an embassy from the Lombard king Desiderios 3 seeking friendship; he queried the trustworthiness of Desiderios 3 and quoted his predecessor as bishop of Rome, Stephen IV (III) (Stephanos 84), who had told him about his dealings with Desiderios 3 and about the blinding of Christophoros 26 and Sergios 53; when the envoys swore that Desiderios 3 would restore to the Roman Church the rights (iustitiae) that he had failed to restore in the time of Stephanos 84. Hadrianos 1 accepted their word and sent envoys of his own (Stephanos 87 and Paulos 51) to the Lombard king: Lib. Pont. 97. 5-6. While his envoys were still on their way Hadrianos 1 learned that Desiderios 3 had seized more cities, and he wrote an angry letter to him; in reply Desiderios 3 said that he would not discuss any matters unless the pope came in person; Desiderios 3 wanted the pope to come and crown as rulers of Francia the sons of the late Frankish king, Carloman (Karoulomannos 2), who had taken refuge with him, and so to create a rift between Hadrianos 1 and the Frankish king Charlemagne (Karoulos 1), but the pope refused: Lib. Pont. 97. 6-9. Meanwhile evidence of the involvement of Hadrianos 1's envoy Paulos 51 in the murder of Sergios 53 had come to light at Rome, and Hadrianos 1 wrote to the archbishop of Ravenna, Leo 114, to have Paulos 51 arrested before he heard the news and escaped: Lib. Pont. 97. 9. He conducted a full investigation into the murder of Sergios 53 and discovered the identities of those responsible: Lib. Pont. 97. 10-11. He handed three of them (Calvulus 1, Lounisso 1 and Leonatios 1) to the city prefect (Anonymus 263) for trial; one, Calvulus 1, died in prison, but Hadrianos 1 sent the other two into exile to Constantinople: Lib. Pont. 97. 12-13. He then sent a transcript of the trial to Leo 114 at Ravenna, where Paulos 51 Afiarta was still in custody; against his wishes, Paulos 51 was tried there and convicted; neither Leo 114 nor the Ravenna authorities informed the pope; Hadrianos 1 then wrote to the emperors Constantine V (Konstantinos 7) and Leo IV (Leo 4) for Paulos 51 to go into exile in the East, and sent the letter to Leo 114 with instructions to send it on to the East with Paulos 51; Leo 114 prevaricated, and Hadrianos 1 next sent his envoy, Gregorios 78, to bring Paulos 51 back to Rome, but before he could do so, Paulos 51 was executed at Ravenna on the orders of Leo 114 (cf. Anonymus 264); Leo 114 defended himself to the pope with the explanation that he was avenging Sergios 53's death, but Hadrianos 1 was unmoved and insisted that he wanted to give Paulos 51 the chance to do penance and so save his soul: Lib. Pont. 97. 14-17.

The same envoy who visited Ravenna about Paulos 51 also went on to Ticinum to see the Lombard king Desiderios 3 and discuss the restoration of the cities which the Lombards had seized: Lib. Pont. 97. 16. However Desiderios 3 only seized more cities; Hadrianos 1 continued his vain efforts, by letters and a stream of envoys, to persuade him to return them and enter into negotiations; eventually Desiderios 3 made threats against Rome itself, whereupon Hadrianos 1 blocked the city gates and sent envoys to the Frankish king Charlemagne (Karoulos 1) begging him to help, as his father Pepin 1 had once done: Lib. Pont. 97. 18-22. The Lombards began to march on Rome, and Hadrianos 1 warned Desiderios 3 that he would never receive him unless the cities were returned, and he proceeded to put the city into a state of defence; he drew up an anathema against Desiderios 3 as he approached Rome and sent it to him, the effect of which was to cause the Lombard king to withdraw home: Lib. Pont. 97. 23-25. He then received envoys sent by Charlemagne (Karoulos 1) to learn the situation in Italy and informed them that the Lombards had still not restored the cities and the iustitiae to the see of St Peter; they returned to Francia accompanied by envoys of Hadrianos 1 to request Charlemagne (Karoulos 1) to intervene: Lib. Pont. 97. 26. When Charlemagne (Karoulos 1) invaded Italy, some citizens of Spoletium and Reate submitted straightaway to Hadrianos 1; later, after the Lombard army was defeated and scattered, many others did so; Hadrianos 1 appointed Hildeprand 2 as the dux of Spoletium, at their request, and so the ducatus of Spoletium came under the control of Rome; Hadrianos 1 also received the submission of Lombards from Firmum, Auximum, Ancona and Castellum Felicitatis: Lib. Pont. 97. 32-33.

Hadrianos 1 welcomed Charlemagne (Karoulos 1) at Rome at Easter (774) and gave him every honour; they celebrated Easter together and afterwards discussed the territorial claims of the see of St Peter; Charlemagne (Karoulos 1) and Hadrianos 1 agreed to the list of places named in the agreement made by Pepin 1 and pope Stephen III (II) at Quierzy; a new document was copied out from the old agreement and signed, assigning to Rome Luna with Corsica, Sori, Mons Bardo (Berceto), Parma, Regium, Mantua and Mons Silicis (Monte Selice), with the whole exarchate of Ravenna, the provinces of Venetiae et Istria, and the ducatus of Spoletium (also known as Beneventum): Lib. Pont. 97. 35-43.

In late 784/early 785 Hadrianos 1 (τοῦ πάπα Ἀδριανοῦ) accepted the synodika and a statement of faith from the newly appointed patriarch of Constantinople, Tarasios 1; he also received a request from the empress Eirene 1 to write and to send representatives to the forthcoming ecumenical council; he sent Petros 27 and Petros 28: Theoph. AM 6277, Zon. XV 11. 11, cf. Vita Tarasii 28, line 12. His representatives arrived bearing his letters in time for the council to assemble in the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople on 7 August 786 (so Theophanes; the correct date was 31 July, see Grumel, Regestes, p. 355): Theoph. AM 6278. Later, in 787, they attended the Second Council of Nikaia (the Seventh Ecumenical Council) as the pope's representatives: Mansi XII 991-XIII 486. A letter from Hadrianos 1 to the emperors Constantine VI (Konstantinos 8) and Eirene 1 was read out to the council: Mansi XII 1055 (Ἀδριανοῦ τοῦ ἁγιωτάτου πάπα τῆς πρεσβυτέρας Ῥώμης). Hadrianos 1 sent his envoys Petros 27 and Petros 28 to Constantine VI (Konstantinos 8) and Eirene 1 encouraging them to restore the traditional veneration of icons; after the Council of Nikaia a Greek copy of the proceedings was sent to Rome and Hadrianos 1 had it translated into Latin and deposited in the papal library: Lib. Pont. 97. 88.

Bishop of Rome, Hadrianos 1 was represented at the Second Council of Nikaia by Petros 27 and Petros 28: Photius, Ep. 1, lines 373-374. In December 791 ("mense Decembrio XV indictione"; in the twentieth year of his papacy) the Tiber flooded and Hadrianos 1 acted vigorously to bring relief and comfort to people who were trapped: Lib. Pont. 97. 94-95.

Hadrianos 1 died in Rome and was buried on 26 December 795 ("VII kal. Ian., indictione IIII"): Lib. Pont. 97. 97. He was succeeded by Leo 11 (pope Leo III) (τελευτήσαντος τοῦ πάπα Ἀδριανοῦ, χειροτονεῖται Λέων); in 797 his relatives (συγγενεῖς τοῦ μακαρίου πάπα Ἀδριανοῦ) rebelled against Leo 11 and tried to blind him: Theoph. AM 6289 (Hadrianos 1's death is recorded under 796/797), Zon. XV 13.10.

Hadrianos 1's donations to churches and his work on the restoration of churches at Rome was considerable and is described in Lib. Pont. 97. 45-87, 89-91, 93, 96. He also had the walls and towers of Rome properly repaired, assigning the task methodically to workers from Tuscia, Campania, Rome itself, the suburbs, and the papal patrimonies: Lib. Pont. 97. 52, 92. He also had repairs carried out to several of the aqueducts of Rome, the forma Sabbatina (i.e. Traiana), the forma Iovia and the forma Claudia: Lib. Pont. 97. 59, 61, 62, 71.

Hadrianos 1 was handsome ("elegans et nimis decorabilis persona), a firm defender of the faith, his country and the people subject to him and an enemy to the enemies of the Church and the state, merciful and generous to the poor and needy, and an upholder of the traditions of the Church and the Fathers: Lib. Pont. 97. 1. According to Photius (Photios 1) he wrote to Tarasios 1 saying that the Holy Ghost proceeded from the Father but not from the Son: Photius, Ep. 291 (III 139ff. Laourdas-Westerink).

Unnamed, he was the immediate predecessor of pope Leo III (Leo 11): Theod. Stud., Ep. 34, pp. 94-99 (τοῦ προηγησαμένου τὴν ἱερωτάτην σου κορυφήν: p. 95, line 28).

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