Damasus II

Who he was

Poppo, a Bavarian, was Bishop of Brixen in the Tyrol when Emperor Henry III named him pope in January 1048. Benedict IX had again taken Rome, and Poppo could only enter the city after the emperor forced Margrave Boniface of Tuscany to remove Benedict.

What he is remembered for

Enthroned at the Lateran on 17 July 1048, he was the third German pope. He died of malaria at Palestrina only twenty-three days later and was buried at San Lorenzo outside the Walls; his is one of the shortest reigns in papal history.

Sources

• Catholic Encyclopedia (1907-14): Pope Damasus II