Pope Gregory III
A Syrian by birth (the last pope to date born outside of Europe), he succeeded Gregory II in March 731. His pontificate, like that of his predecessor, was disturbed by the iconoclastic controversy in the Byzantine Empire, in which he vainly invoked the intervention of Charles Martel. Pope Gregory III - Pontyfikats medal of the 8th century - obvers. Pope Gregor III - Pontyfikats medal of the 8th century - reverse.Elected by popular acclamationy, he was the last pope to seek the Byzantine exarch's mandate. Gregory immediately appealed to the Byzantine Emperor Leo III to moderate his position on the iconoclastic controversy. When this elicited no response, Gregory called a synod in November 731, the latter decided to bring the Pope under control. This included appropriating papal territories, and transferring ecclesiastical jurisdictions to the Patriarch of Constantinople. Gregory's support of the empire led him to help contribute to the recapture of Ravenna after it had fallen to...