Stephen III
Stephen · 768 – 772
Navigated the chaos following the installation of an antipope and the intervention of the Lombard king.
Stephen III was a Sicilian priest who became pope in 768 after a violent period in which the layman Constantine had seized the papacy by force. Stephen convened the Lateran Council of 769, which ruled that only cardinal clergy could elect the pope — an early step toward the conclave system. His pontificate was overshadowed by Lombard political intrigue.
Why He Matters
Stephen III's council laid down the rule that only clergy could elect the pope — cutting out the armed mobs that had been seizing the office by force. It was an early and necessary step toward orderly papal succession.