Asher Sisneros

The papal-Frankish alliance was mutually beneficial. It was a dexterous move by the Pope and Pepin the Short (AD 714 – 768), but one might wonder how and why the church and the Franks benefited from an alliance with each other. After all, wasn’t the church protected by the Byzantine Empire? As it turns out, the reasons for an alliance were far and wide. 

Pepin the Short sought a Papal alliance to legitimize his attempt to overturn the incompetent Merovingian dynasty. Otherwise, it would have been an illegal coup. He already possessed all the power as the Frankish de facto leader, but he wanted the title of king. It would have been unpopular for him to seize the throne if he didn’t consult a higher authority. The Pope was the obvious higher authority since many Franks were Christians like Pepin. 

The Catholic Church embraced the alliance for protection. The Byzantine Empire was sworn to protect the church but neglected its duty. Aistulf, King of the Lombards, launched an attack on the church, pillaging and killing. However, the Byzantine Emperor’s response was only a diplomatic note asking Aistulf to stop. He did not. The church attempted to form an alliance with the Frankish Mayor of the Palace, Charles Martel, in AD 739, but he was already allied with the Lombards. The deal fell through, but the point is that the church was willing because the Byzantine Empire neglected them. However, that is an understatement. The Byzantine Empire did far worse than neglecting to protect the Catholic Church—they also imprisoned and tortured the popes for not accepting Monothelitism. It was the classic issue of state intervention in church affairs. Between the Byzantine Empire’s failure in protecting and even abusing the popes, the Catholic Church was ready to make an alliance with the Christian Franks. 

Finally, the alliance was mutually beneficial because both parties were interested in supporting the continental missionary work done by the Anglo-Saxons. They both wanted Christianity to spread. This religious similarity united the two groups. 

In the end, Pope Zachary and Pepin the Short allied. The Pope believed Pepin’s campaign for the Frankish throne was legitimate, and Pepin swore to protect the Catholic Church from foreign invaders. In conclusion, the papal-Frankish alliance was possible because (1) the Carolingians—the most powerful Frankish family—were papal allies, (2) the church feared the Byzantine Emperor, and (3) they both supported the Anglo-Saxon missionaries.