Background

Damasus was born around 326 in Cauca, in Hispania (modern day Coca, Spain), to a professional christian military family later headed by his older brother Roman General Theodosius the Elder and his wife Thermantia.

The crucial fact of his blood relation as uncle to Emperor Theodosius I (379-395) was removed completely from revisions to the Liber Pontificalis ("Lives of the Popes") and even his birthplace in Spain was changed to Portugal.

Around the time of the beginning of his Papacy, the Roman Church had gone through a period of irrelevance as the true seat of Christian power had resided in the Papal Throne of Constantinople. With Rome considered under the first Byzantine rulers to be a mere provincial capital, there is even strong evidence that the position of Bishop (Pope) of Rome was vacant for some periods during the first half of the 4th Century - a fact removed from history through the ficticious revisions of the Liber Pontificalis ("Lives of the Popes").

The reign of Pope Damasus is notable as a reign of supreme terror as the Roman Christian Church rose to an all encompassing power again against anything and anyone that stood in its way under the Theodosian Dynasty.

While the character and exploits of his brother General Theodosius the Elder, who was later promoted to the position of Count, have been filtered, contemporary historian Ammianus considered General Theodosius the Elder to be an unyielding tyrant who relished brutal military discipline.

When Theodosius the Elder was promoted to senior military rank in Rome by Valentinian around 364, it is almost certain that Damasus used the opportunity to come to Rome. While no record survives, it is presumably around the same date that he was promoted through his family connection to senior position within the clergy.

When Pope Liberius died in 366, his legitimate son by marriage, Ursinus was fully expected to become the next Pope. However, Count Theodosius used his position and power to convince the upper-class christian nobility to support the candidacy of his brother Damasus, while the clergy and laity supported Ursinus.

Neither side retreated from their position and both Damasus and Ursinus were elected as Popes at the same time by their separate supporter base. A series of riots, assassinations and battles then ensued over the following months until Ursinus was finally banished in 367.

It is admitted that Damasus faced accusations of both murder and adultery during his years as Pope. There is also the small matter of an Imperial Trial before Emperor Gratian in 383 where virtually all his bishops signed a warrant against accussing him of the very worst of satanic crimes.

He escaped the charges and had all his bishops murdered. But a year later himself was dead.

Damasus is claimed as the first Pope to refer to Rome as the "Apostolic See" and convinced the Imperial Court to recognize it as a legitimate court and secondlt as the tribunal of appeal for the entire Western Christian Church.