Byzantine Papacy

The Byzantine Papacy was the period, roughly 537–752, when Byzantine emperors strongly influenced the papacy in Rome through political authority, military presence, and control over appointments.

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Gothic War: A series of wars from 535 to 554 in which the Byzantine Empire conquered the Ostrogothic Kingdom in Italy. Its Byzantine victory brought Rome under imperial rule and began the political conditions for this period.
Justinian I: Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565 who sought to restore Roman rule around the Mediterranean. His reconquest of Italy brought Rome back under Byzantine authority.
Pope Gregory I: The bishop of Rome from 590 to 604, known for pastoral leadership and diplomatic activity. His negotiations with Lombards show papal initiative amid weakened imperial protection.
Frankish Papacy: The period in which Frankish rulers became the papacy’s principal political protectors and partners. It followed the Byzantine Papacy as the papacy sought protection from the Franks.
Exarchate of Ravenna: A Byzantine administrative and military district in Italy, governed from Ravenna. Its exarch represented imperial authority near Rome and intervened in papal affairs.
Belisarius: A Byzantine general who led major campaigns in the wars against the Vandals and Ostrogoths. His capture of Rome in 536 established Byzantine control at the period’s beginning.
Pope Gregory III: The bishop of Rome from 731 to 741, who opposed Byzantine iconoclasm. His conflict with Emperor Leo III exposed the growing divide over religious authority.
Papal States: Territories in central Italy ruled by the pope from the eighth century until Italian unification. Their emergence replaced much of the Byzantine territorial framework around Rome.
Papal appointment: The process by which a new pope is selected and installed as bishop of Rome. Imperial approval and intervention could shape which candidates became pope.
Ravenna: An Italian city that served as the principal Byzantine administrative center in Italy. Its imperial administration connected Byzantine power to Rome throughout the period.