Donation of Pepin: Papacy, Lombards, and the Papal States (753–756)

The alliance between Pepin the Short and the papacy is not limited to a ceremony: it durably changes the political map of the West. Between 753 and 756, the Frankish kingdom becomes the main military protector of Rome.

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🏛️ Why the pope turns to the Franks

In the 8th century, the papacy is caught between two realities:

• pressure from the Lombards, whose king Aistulf threatens Rome
• the weakening of the traditional protector, the Byzantine Empire, both militarily strained and divided by religious tensions

Faced with this deadlock, Pope Stephen II crosses the Alps in 753. It is an exceptional move: he comes to seek direct support from a western ruler.

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🐎 Ponthion, Saint‑Denis, Quierzy: an alliance in three acts

• Ponthion (6 January 754): meeting between Stephen II and Pepin; the pope obtains a promise of aid.
• Saint‑Denis (28 July 754): solemn consecration of Pepin and his sons; Pepin receives the title patricius Romanorum, highlighting his role as protector of Rome.
• Quierzy (754): a political pledge linked to the creation of a papal domain protected by the Franks.

The strength of this alliance is simple: the pope brings sacred legitimacy, Pepin brings military protection.

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⚔️ 755–756: campaigns against Aistulf

The promise becomes action. Pepin intervenes in Italy against Aistulf, then returns when agreements prove insufficient. The campaigns of 755 and 756 constrain the Lombard king and lead to territorial restitutions in favour of the pope.

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🗺️ The Donation of Pepin and the birth of the Papal States

The “Donation of Pepin” refers to the set of commitments and restitutions that give the pope a territorial base in Italy. The core concerns former Byzantine territories taken by the Lombards, around the Exarchate of Ravenna and the Pentapolis.

The change is major:

• it founds papal territorial power (the Papal States)
• it consolidates the Carolingian dynasty through a durable alliance with Rome
• it creates new tension with Constantinople, which does not always recognise these transfers

Detailed lists of promised territories vary by texts and reconstructions; it is better to retain the idea of an Italian core (Ravenna and surroundings) than a fixed inventory.

Confirmation and expansion continue, notably with Charlemagne (confirmation in 774).

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🧠 Key takeaways

• The pope turns to Pepin because Byzantine protection is no longer effective.
• The 753–756 alliance combines religious legitimacy and military power.
• Pepin’s Donation contributes to the formation of the Papal States and to Carolingian solidity.