In 653, a pope was abducted and tried for defying the Byzantine emperor
When Pope Martin I refused to endorse a Byzantine decree on the nature of Christ, he was kidnapped from Rome and dragged to Constantinople to face a high-stakes trial for treason.
In 653, the struggle between church and state turned violent when Pope Martin I was abducted by Byzantine imperial troops. The conflict centered on Monothelitism, a theological doctrine supported by Emperor Constans II that Martin vehemently opposed. After being taken from a sickbed in Rome, the Pope endured a grueling year-long journey to Constantinople.
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