Octavian was the son of Alberic II, Duke of Rome. It was at the express wish of his dying father that he was announced on December 16, 955, at the age of only 18. He took the name John XII and became one of the most famous leaders of the Church, although his bad reputation contributed to a large extent. No wonder he is called “the worst pope in”.
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John XII the worst pope in history. The “wretched women” were afraid to come to Rome
John XII’s behavior led to the fact that the faithful, especially women, stopped visiting the Lateran Basilica.
The wretched women stopped coming for fear of falling prey to John’s lust, as he delighted in possessing a whole collection of subordinate ladies
– . John XII seduced both the daughters of Corinth and pilgrims coming to Rome, and even pilgrims. He did not avoid gambling, he ordered to feed the herd of horses with “figs in wine”, he even gave his favorite horse the status of nobility. Anyone who dared to criticize his actions was excommunicated and castrated. The papal treasury was quickly emptying, while dissatisfaction among the bishops was growing.
Synod in 963. Accusations of crimes and indecency
In 962, John XII crowned Otto I as Emperor of Germany. When people began to talk about the need to reform the Church, he turned his back on Otto and started plotting against him. As a result, the German emperor took Rome with his troops, and the pope fled to Tivoli. On November 6, 963, a synod was convened, during which the misdeeds of John XII began to come to light. The accusations were not limited to crimes, the pope was also accused of indecentness and adultery.
John XII in an engraving from the 16th century Österreichische Nationalbibliothek – Austrian National Library, Public Domain, Picryl.com
Of his adultery, they said that although they did not see it with their own eyes, they knew full well that he had made the holy palace a home for a fuck and a brothel, having intercourse with Raineri’s widow [jego słudze]with Stefania, his father’s concubine, with the widow Anna and her niece. […] He said to deprive him of his courage [tj. wykastrować] and killed Cardinal Subdeacon John
– Bishop of Cremona. These were not the only accusations against John XII. According to the bishops’ findings, John XII celebrated Mass without taking communion, ordained a deacon in the stable (although witnesses were not sure when exactly this took place), ordained for a fee, and made a 10-year-old boy Bishop of Todi.
John XII died in 964 “stabbed in the head by the devil during adultery”
Such an ulcer, such as has never been before, must be burned with a hot iron
– these are the words, according to the chronicles, of Otto I. On December 4, 963, the synod appointed a new pope, Leo VIII. Otto, calm about Rome, returned to Germany. Less than a month later, however, John XII returned to Rome. He provoked a bloody uprising, as a result of which Leo VIII fled, and ruled in the See of Peter until April 964. He annulled all decrees, ordered traitors to be tortured. However, he did not enjoy his return for long. Upon hearing of Otto’s approaching army, he fled from Rome to Campania. Soon after, according to some legends, he died in his lover’s bed during carnal pleasures.
Death of John XII, for ‘I Misteri del Vaticano o la Roma dei Papi’ from 1861 Franco Cesati, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
But there were more theories. How, John XII “died mortally wounded in the head by the devil during adultery in the house of a married woman”. He was 27 years old, although engravings usually depict him as much older.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
