BONIFACE V.

boniface v., pope from 619 to 625, did much for the christianizing of england. bede mentions (_hist. eccl._) that he wrote encouraging letters to mellitus, archbishop of canterbury, and justus, bishop of rochester, and quotes three letters--to justus, to eadwin, king of northumbria, and to his wife aethelberga. william of malmesbury gives a letter to justus of the year 625, in which canterbury is constituted the metropolitan see of britain for ever. boniface vi. was elected pope in april 896, and died fifteen days afterwards. boniface vii. was pope from august 984 to july 985. his family name was franco. in 974 he was substituted by crescentius and the roman barons for benedict vi., who had been assassinated. he was ejected by count sicco, the representative of the emperor otto ii., and fled to constantinople. on the death of otto (983) he returned, seized pope john