Michael 54 was scriniarius of the church of Ravenna ("Michaelius scriniarius huius ecclesiae"); after the death of Sergius (Sergios 54) (on 25 August 769), he wanted to become the next archbishop of Ravenna, although he held no priestly office ("qui nullo sacerdotali fungebatur honore"), and he visited the dux at Ariminum, Mauricius (Maurikios 9), for his support; with the approval of the Lombard king Desiderius (Desiderios 3), Maurikios 9 assembled an army, hastened to Ravenna, and through superior force had Michael 54 elected archbishop; then Michael 54, Maurikios 9 and the authorities of Ravenna ("iudices Ravennantium") promised gifts to pope Stephen IV (III) (Stephanos 84) if he would consecrate Michael 54, but the pope refused on the grounds that Michael 54 was not a priest; the pope wrote asking him not to persist, but Michael 54 refused to obey and occupied the episcopal palace for a year, during which he allegedly impoverished the church by giving expensive gifts to Desiderios 3; Michael 54 and his supporters could not change the pope (Stephanos 84)'s mind and eventually, influenced by envoys from the pope supported by the Franks, the people of Ravenna rose against Michael 54 and ejected him from the episcopal palace; he was sent in fetters to Rome and the archdeacon Leo (Leo 114) was elected to the see in his place, with the pope's approval: Lib. Pont. 96. 25-26.

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