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Nicholas I

Type Figure Region Rome Time c. 800–867 Also known as Pope Nicholas I

Nicholas I (c. 800–867), Roman pope from 858 to 867, revered as 'the Great', strengthened papal authority, intervened in Carolingian disputes over ma…

Timeline

  1. c. 800–858Rome · RomeNicholas I was born into a Roman noble family, serving as deacon of the church of the Holy Saviour and as papal notary, renowned for learning and administrative ability, laying the foundation for his later election as pope.
  2. 858–867Rome · RomeAfter his election Nicholas I actively exercised the Church's supreme judicial authority, intervening in major affairs such as Lothair II's divorce case and the case of the nun Theutberga, and reforming Eastern church discipline, establishing the pope's moral and judicial authority in the Christian West.
  3. 860–867Western Europe and the Mediterranean world · MediterraneanNicholas I maneuvered with Byzantine emperors and Frankish rulers over the conversion of Bulgaria, the Photian Schism, and church affairs of the Carolingian kings, using letters and envoys to uphold the Roman pope's adjudicative standing over universal church matters.

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