Adrian I

Adrian I (died 795), pope (772-795), who established the temporal power of the papacy.

A Roman aristocrat by birth, Adrian was elected pope by unanimous acclamation when he was only a deacon. After papal territory was attacked by the Lombard king Desiderius (reigned 757-774), Adrian called Charles, king of the Franks (later Charlemagne), to his assistance. Charles defeated the Lombards and confirmed the pope in possession of many parts of Italy previously granted by Pepin, father of Charles. The borders of the Papal States remained much the same from that time until their disintegration in the 19th century. Adrian confirmed the decrees of the Second Council of Nicaea (787), ending the controversy over the veneration of images. A skilled administrator, he undertook the repair and construction of many buildings in Rome.