Zachary

About Zachary

Zachary was Pope from 741-752, the last Greek pope. He successfully negotiated peace between the Lombards and Byzantine Empire, protecting Rome from invasion. Zachary supported Boniface's mission in Germany, approving his reforms and monastery foundations. Most significantly, when Boniface asked whether the Frankish mayor of the palace (Pepin) or the powerless Merovingian king truly ruled France, Zachary replied that whoever held actual power should be king. This authorized Pepin's coronation as King of the Franks, beginning the Carolingian dynasty and the alliance between the papacy and Frankish kingdom. Zachary also translated Gregory the Great's "Dialogues" into Greek, bridging East and West.