Stephanos 90 was pope Stephen V (IV), bishop of Rome from 816 to 817 (for his numbering, see Stephanos 81 and Stephanos 8). A native of Rome, he was the son of Marinus (Marinos 16) ("natione Romanus, ex patre Marino"); he came of noble family and distinguished ancestry ("nobili prosapia et clarissimo genere ortus"); from his earliest years he was brought up and educated in the Lateran palace under pope Hadrian I (Hadrianos 1) ("a primeva etate in patriarchia Lateranense sub sanctae memoriae domno Adriano papa nutritus atque edocatus") and from boyhood onwards received a Christian training ("adhuc in parva aetate ad discendam sacrae disciplinae scientiam studiosius vigilabat"); after the death of Hadrianos 1 he came to the notice of pope Leo III (Leo 11), who promoted him first to subdeacon ("ad subdiaconatus ordinem") and then to deacon ("ad diaconatus culmen"); then on the death of Leo 11, Stephanos 90 was chosen to be his successor and the next bishop of Rome ("papa Urbis consecratus est"): Lib. Pont. 99. 1 (a section of this paragraph is an almost word for word transcription of a similar passage in the Life of Hadrian; Lib. Pont. 97. 3-4).

While bishop of Rome, he visited the emperor Louis (Lodoïchos 2) in Francia to strengthen the peace between them and was welcomed with great honour; he was granted everything for which he asked, including the exiles from Italy who had been punished earlier for their attacks on pope Leo III (Leo 11); he was also given many gifts by Louis, including a villa (see further below) from the privy purse for the see of St Peter to hold in perpetuity ("cortem de suo proprio fisco beato Petro apostolo perpetuali usu per praecepti paginam concessit"): Lib. Pont. 99. 2. He apparently returned to Rome in November (816); see text of Annales Einhard. (cited below). On the visit to Francia, see further Annales Einhard. (cited in Duchesne, Lib. Pont. II, p. 50, n. 4) and the two Lives of Louis the Pious. On the villa, Duchesne, Lib. Pont. II, p. 50, n. 5, cites Hincmar 865 ("villa quae Vendopera dicitur, quam piae memoriae Hludowicus imperator sancto Petro tradiderat et Wido quidam comes per plures annos tenuerat") (it was subsequently recovered by Arsenios 3, envoy of pope Nicolas I (Nikolaos 28)).

Stephanos 91 made gifts to various churches and monasteries at Rome: Lib. Pont. 99. 3-4. He died on 24 January 817 (the date, 24 or 25 January, is given in the Frankish Annals; so Duchesne, Lib. Pont. II, p. 51, n. 10; the text of the Annales Einhard. is cited by Duchesne on p. 63, n. 3: "Stefanus papa tertio postquam Romam venerat mense, sed nondum exacto, circiter VIII kal. Febr., diem obiit") and was buried in St Peter's: Lib. Pont. 99. 5, 100. 2. His occupation of the see lasted for seven months only: Lib. Pont. 99. 1. He was a relation of the later popes Sergius II (Sergios 60) and Hadrian II (Hadrianos 8): Lib. Pont. 108. 1.

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