Agapetus II was the son of Roman nobles, and on May 10, 946 was the fifth handpicked pope of Roman senator Alberic II. Though he wasn’t granted temporal power, he was very active in the management of the Church, and is remembered as being a holy man worthy of the office. ‘Bout time. As pope, Agapetus worked especially to restore discipline in churches and monasteries that had grown a bit lazy. He reigned for nearly a decade, the longest tenure the papacy had seen in almost 30 years. Agapetus II died November 8, 955, and was buried in the Lateran Basilica. 

Agapetus II is known for playing church politics particularly well. Disputes were popping up all over the place, but the pope ably navigated them all. He resolved a spat between France and Germany over who was rightful Archbishop of Rheims, helped two bishops in modern-day Austria/Hungary determine the boundaries of their respective dioceses, and ensured that Italian monasteries which had been unlawfully seized be returned to their rightful owners. 

Fun fact: Interestingly enough, Agapetus knew who would succeed him, even before his death. Because Agapetus would obviously outlive Alberic II, the latter demanded that the Romans elect his son and successor, Octavian, to be pope after Agapetus died. Control much?