Pope Marinus I ( ; died 15 May 884) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

from 882 until his death on 15 May 884. Controversially at the time, he was already a bishop when he became

pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

, and had served as papal legate to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

. He was also erroneously called Pope Martin II () leading to the second pope named Martin to take the name Martin IV.

Ecclesiastical career

Diplomat to the East

Born at Gallese, Marinus was the son of a priest. He would become an expert on relations with the Eastern church, starting this path when he assisted as subdeacon the welcome of ambassadors of emperor Michael III in 860. He was ordained as a deacon by Pope Nicholas I and then sent in 866 to Constantinople to discuss the religious leadership over the newly converted Bulgarians though the embassy was turned back at the Byzantine border. Marinus was sent again in 869 as one of pope Adrian II's legates who presided over the eight ecumenical council in Constantinople which deposed the Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople. His profile became popular after and some time afterwards he became bishop of Caere, possibly to prevent that he could become archbishop of Bulgaria as one of king Boris' favourite candidates. On three separate occasions, he had been employed by the three popes who preceded him as legate to

, his mission in each case having reference to the controversy started by Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople. In 882, he was sent on behalf of Pope John VIII to Duke Athanasius of Naples to warn him not to trade with the Muslims of southern Italy. During that time, he also served as treasurer to the Holy See.

Papacy

Marinus I was elected to succeed John VIII as bishop of Rome from around the end of December 882. This papal election was controversial because Marinus had already been

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

as bishop of Caere; at the time, a bishop was expected never to move to another see. Among his first acts as pope were the restitution of Formosus as cardinal bishop of Portus and the anathematizing of Photius I. Due to his respect for

Alfred the Great Alfred the Great ( ; – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who both died when Alfr ...

(r. 871–899), he freed the

Anglo-Saxons The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

of the ''Schola Anglorum'' in Rome from tribute and taxation. He also is recorded to have sent a piece of the

True Cross According to Christian tradition, the True Cross is the real instrument of Jesus' crucifixion, cross on which Jesus of Nazareth was Crucifixion of Jesus, crucified. It is related by numerous historical accounts and Christian mythology, legends ...

to Alfred as a gift. He died in May 884 and was buried in St. Peter's basilica in Rome, his successor being Adrian III.

Name error

Because of the similarity of the names, Marinus I and Marinus II were, in some sources, mistakenly called Martinus II and Martinus III.

References

External links