Pope Stephen IX

His tomb soon became the scene of miracles, and his name was enrolled in the calendar of saints.

End of Section 5 Section 6 of Hildebrand and His Times by William Richard Ward Stevens This LibriVox recording is in the public domain Recording by Pamela Nagami Chapter 4 The Death of Henry III Pontificates of Victor II and Stephen IX Irregular Election of Benedict X Election of Nicholas II Designs of Hildebrand 1054-1059 The death of Leo was a critical event for the papacy and the empire.

Hildebrand hastened back from France to Rome.

It would have been easy for him to have loosened the bond which had for nearly ten years closely tied Italy and the papacy to the German emperor.

His place was speedily filled by the brother of Duke Godfrey.

The cardinal abbot of Monte Cassino was in Rome when Pope Victor died, and the clergy and people, without waiting for the return of Hildebrand from Arezzo or communicating with the empress, offered him the papacy, which he seems to have accepted with little or no reluctance.

He was consecrated on August 3rd in St. Peter's and took the name of Stephen IX.

As ambassador at Constantinople, he had been a bold upholder of Roman orthodoxy and papal supremacy in the face of the patriarch and the emperor.