in 751, "any semblance of imperial protection for Rome" had vanished and the pope, who had technically been a Byzantine subject to this point, turned to Pepin for assistance. Pepin invaded Italy and, following an initial victory in 755, he decisively "defeated Aistulf and imposed a peace on him" in 756.

Pepin had promised Italian lands to Stephen II during a meeting at Quierzy, France in April 754. While this earlier promise is "often identified as the Donation," it may have