Stephen II was a Roman aristocrat of the Orsini family who served as pope from 752 until his death in 757. His leadership represented a pivotal historical shift from the era of the Byzantine Papacy to the Frankish Papacy. Facing severe military threats from the Lombards and receiving little support from the Eastern Roman Empire, he sought a new protector. By traveling to Paris to negotiate with the Frankish king Pepin the Short, he established a crucial alliance that fundamentally altered the political landscape of the Italian peninsula.