Pope Agapetus II

Born around 911, Agapetus became bishop of Rome on 10 May 946, not by the will of cardinals but by the word of Alberic II of Spoleto, the strongman who ruled the city. His pontificate unfolded entirely within the Saeculum obscurum, the century when Roman noble families controlled the papacy like a family business. He governed the Papal States under that shadow until his death on 8 November 955, one more name in the long roll of popes who reigned when temporal power outweighed spiritual authority.