Pope Valentine (Latin: Valentinus; died 10 October 827) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States for two months in 827.
[1] Showing an early aptitude for learning, he was moved from the school attached to the Lateran Palace and, according to the Liber Pontificalis, was made a deacon by Pope Paschal I (817–824).
[2] His biographer in the Liber Pontificalis praises his piety and purity of morals, which won him the favor of Paschal I, who raised him to the rank of archdeacon.
This was an unusual reversal of the normal proceedings, and in fact was the first time it had happened in the recorded history of the papacy, although it would be repeated during the pontificate of Benedict III.
[8] This gradual encroachment into the papal electoral process would reach its nadir during the tenth century, when the papacy became the plaything of the Roman aristocracy.