But to return to the order of our narration. Gregory III. occupied the
papacy, and the kingdom of the Lombards was held by Astolphus, who,
contrary to agreement, seized Ravenna, and made war upon the pope.
On this account, Gregory no longer relying upon the emperor of
Constantinople, since he, for the reasons above given, was unable to
assist him, and unwilling to trust the Lombards, for they had frequently
broken their faith, had recourse to Pepin II., who, from being lord of
Austria and Brabant, had become king of France; not so much by his
own valor as by that of Charles Martel, his father, and Pepin his
grandfather; for Charles Martel, being governor of the kingdom, effected
the memorable defeat of the Saracens near Tours, upon the Loire, in
which two hundred thousand of them are said to have been left dead upon
the field of battle. Hence, Pepin, by his father's reputation and his
own abilities, became afterward king of France. To him Pope Gregory, as
we have said, applied for assistance against the Lombards, which Pepin
promised to grant, but desired first to see him and be honored with his
presence. Gregory accordingly went to France, passing uninjured through
the country of his enemies, so great was the respect they had for
religion, and was treated honorably by Pepin, who sent an army into
Italy, and besieged the Lombards in Pavia. King Astolphus, compelled by
necessity, made proposals of peace to the French, who agreed to them at
the entreaty of the pope--for he did not desire the death of his enemy,
but that he should be converted and live. In this treaty, Astolphus
promised to give to the church all the places he had taken from her;
but the king's forces having returned to France, he did not fulfill the
agreement, and the pope again had recourse to Pepin, who sent another
army, conquered the Lombards, took Ravenna, and, contrary to the wishes
of the Greek emperor, gave it to the pope, with all the places that
belonged to the exarchate, and added to them Urbino and the Marca.
But Astolphus, while fulfilling the terms of his agreement, died, and