Papacy began 16 December 882 Birth name ??? Successor Adrian III | Predecessor John VIII Papacy ended 15 May 884 Name Pope I | |
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Died 15 May 884(884-05-15)
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Pope Marinus II | Wikipedia audio article
Pope Marinus I (or Martin II; died 15 May 884) was Pope from 16 December 882 to his death in 884. He succeeded John VIII in about the end of December 882.
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Prior history
Born at Gallese, Marinus was the son of a priest. He was ordained as a deacon by Pope Nicholas I. Before his election as Pope, he served as Bishop of Caere, which made his election controversial, because, at this stage of history, a bishop was expected never to leave office to move to another see. On three separate occasions he had been employed by the three popes who preceded him as legate to Constantinople, his mission in each case having reference to the controversy started by Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople. In 882, he was sent on behalf of Pope John VIII to Athanasius of Naples to warn him not to trade with the Muslims of southern Italy.
Acts as pope
Among his first acts as pope were the restitution of Formosus as Cardinal Bishop of Portus and the anathematizing of Photius. Due to his respect for Alfred the Great (r. 871–899), he freed the Anglo-Saxons of the Schola Anglorum in Rome from tribute and taxation. He also is recorded to have sent a piece of the True Cross to Alfred as a gift. He died in May or June 884, his successor being Adrian III.
Marinus/Martinus error
Because of the similarity of the names Marinus and Martinus, Popes Marinus I and Marinus II were, in some sources, mistakenly given the name Martinus (and were then listed respectively as Martinus II and Martinus III). Thus, when the new Pope in 1281 took the name Martin, he became Pope Martin IV.