[7] Pope Victor had died at Arezzo on 28 July 1057, where he had just held a synod, but his successor was elected in Rome, in the Basilica of S. Pietro in vincoli, on 2 August 1057 and consecrated the next day.

Of the more senior cardinals, Boniface of Albano was from Apulia, Hugo of Silva Candida was a Burgundian, and Stephen of S. Crisogono was a monk of Cluny.

[10] In 1058, Pope Stephen was relieved, by force on the part of the Romans, of the treasure which he had brought to Rome from Constantinople,[11] in the wake of his participation in the embassy which excommunicated the Patriarch Michael Cerularius and began the Great Schism.

He transferred the remaining treasure to Montecassino, and then hastened into Tuscany, in order to consult with his elder brother Godfrey, whom he had enfeoffed as Duke of Spoleto in January 1058.

[15] Hildebrand (later Pope Gregory VII) had been sent to the court of Empress Agnes, who had questioned the validity of Stephen's own election.

A somewhat different version of the story has it that Pope Stephen summoned the bishops, cardinals, and deacons, and informed them that he knew that some of them were planning to fill the papal seat with the help of lay persons, not in accordance with the decrees of the holy fathers.

[16] News of Pope Stephen's death was brought to Rome by two cardinal-bishops, Humbert of Silva Candida and Peter of Tusculum.

[17] A section of the Roman aristocracy, along with numerous members of the clergy who were opposed to the reforms being pushed by the German popes and Cardinal Hildebrand, engineered a coup.

Cardinal Peter Damiani and his supporters in the reform party, objected loudly to the proceedings and began to cast anathemas.

The supporters of Nicholas then gained control of Rome, and forced Benedict to flee to the castle of Count Gerard of Galeria.

He then proceeded to wage war against Benedict and his supporters, with the assistance of Norman forces based in southern Italy, after he agreed to recognize Count Richard of Aversa as ruler of Capua.

[24] One of those cardinals, Peter Damiani, testified independently to Benedict's character, stating that he was bene litteratus, with a lively personality, chaste and with no suspicion, and generous in giving charity.

Despite Benedict's pleading that he had been forced to assume the papal crown, he was convicted, deposed, and stripped of all his titles and his ordination as priest and bishop.

[28] The most important consequence of these events was the adoption of new regulations for papal elections, laid out at a synod presided over by Pope Nicholas in the Lateran Palace at Easter 1059.

[29] This was a major step in depriving the lower clergy, the nobility, and Roman citizenry from their role in the election of future popes.