Stephanos 81

Prosopography of the Byzantine Empire
SexM
FloruitM VIII
Dates752 (taq) / 752 (ob.)
Variant NamesStephanus;
pope Stephen II
ReligionChristian
LocationsRome (officeplace);
Rome (residence);
Rome
OccupationPriest
TitlesArchbishop, Rome (office);
Bishop, Rome (office);
Patriarch, Rome (office);
Pope, Rome (office)
Textual SourcesLiber Pontificalis, ed. L. Duchesne, Le liber pontificalis. Texte, introduction et commentaire, 2 vols. (Paris, 1886-92); re-issued with 3rd vol. by C. Vogel, (Paris, 1955-57) (chronicle)

Stephanos 81 was a priest at Rome, he was unanimously elected pope after the death of pope Zacharias 16 (in 752); he died suddenly three days later, before his consecration, apparently after a stroke which left him speechless ("subito dum sederet alienatus obmutuit et sequenti die defunctus est"): Lib. Pont. 94. 2. His successor was Stephanos 8, pope Stephen III (II). He was pope Stephen II, but because of his short tenure is not always counted and later popes called Stephen are usually reckoned as having two numbers. Cf. Stephanos 8, Stephanos 84 and Stephanos 90.

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