This text by Thomas, Archdeacon of Split, the narrative source par excellence for thirteenth-century Croatian history, describes the bishop of Zagreb at the time of his election to archbishop of Split in 1242. Stephen II was the bishop of Zagreb for twentytwo years, elected in 1225, and served until 1247. His pontificate saw the Zagreb see at the advent of the thirteenth-century reform heralded by Pope Innocent III at the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215, and also faced numerous secular issues such as the Mongol invasion of the Kingdom of Hungary-Croatia in 1241 and his own subsequent flight from Zagreb.

Among these almost apocalyptic events, Stephen managed to work assiduously for the progress of the bishopric of Zagreb up to the point of his plan, together with Duke Coloman, to unite the ecclesiastical sees of Zagreb and Split. The available sources— the charters and letters by the bishop himself, the kings and princes, and finally the popes— provide an image of a successful administrator. Lacunae remain, however, and these have been filled by historians in the attempt to make sense of this man. Stephen II emerges as a cleric, a bishop, and major political figure in the kingdom between the sources and the afterimages left by historiography. This article will try to resolve the contradictions between these historical “faces” and reveal what Stephen's career was like prior to becoming bishop, how he administered his bishopric and reformed the church, as well as detailing the unsuccessful union of the churches of Zagreb and Split.

The tangled fabric of Stephen's life and work has already been woven by many historians; the first tries at an appreciation of his role as bishop were made by Baltazar Adam Krčelić and Daniele Farlati in the eighteenth century.