JOHN. 



fianJing his elevated ftation in the cliUrch. In ■<>I4> Theo- 

 dora, by her iiUrigues and iiitercll, jjot her favourite ^nd 

 friend preferred to the poiililical chair. Under this pope, 

 Rome and Italy were indebted for delivoranL^ from the 

 barbarous and oppreffive Saracens In 916 he ero«ned 

 anew Beren^er, who readily affilted him in his ambitious 

 projed?. Tlie pope relolved to take the field liimfelf as 

 generaiiffinio of all the forc-s, and under him the Saracen 

 power was completely annihilated, which, during the fpaee 

 of forty years, had been the terror of the vvliole of Italy. 

 In the' following year the pope bejran to feel fome com- 

 punftions of conicience on accoimt of his former condutt, 

 and accordingly fent a legate, as his proxy, on a pilgrimage 

 to the tomb of St. James, of Compoftella, in the kingdom 

 of I.eon, lioping, at leall wilhing, others to believe, that 

 he (liouUi atone Yor his vices by oifering rich prefents at 

 the (hrine of a departed faint. In the year 925 John 

 fhe^ved how little regard he paid to the canons of the 

 chnrch by confirming the nomination of Hugh, a child 

 only five vears old, and fon of count Herbert, in the 

 archbilhopr'ic of Rheims. As John was ind^-bted for his 

 rank, and el.-vation in the church to the intrigues of one 

 infamous woman, io he loft his dignity and lite through 

 thofe of another. This was Marozia, the daughter of his 

 former miftrefs Theodora. Marozia, exafperated that Ihe 

 did not fucoeed her mother in th.e confidence of the pope, 

 refolved to dellroy him and his brother Peter, who at this 

 time was in habits of the ftriftoll intimacy with him. She 

 communicated the bloody delign to her hufband, and pre- 

 vailed on him not only to approve, but to be the inftru- 

 ftient of carrying it into execution. Accordingly this 

 •wretch, on a certain day, when the pope and his brother 

 were together in the Lateran palace, broke into it at the 

 head of a band of ruffians, killed Peter before hh bro- 

 ther's face, and then, fii/.ing the pope, dragged him to 

 prifon, where he foon afterwards died This tragical event 

 happened in the year 928, after John had been feated on the 

 papal throne more than fourteen years. Three of the 

 letters of this pope are to be found in the ninth volume of 

 the Collecl. Concil. 



John- XL pope, was fuppofed to be the natural fon of 

 pope Sergius III. by the infamous Marozia, but according 

 to others he was the fon of Alberic, duke of Spoletta. It 

 is certain he attained the dignity of pope through the in- 

 flaence of Marozia, and her hufband Guy, marquis of Tuf- 

 cany, in the year 931, upon the death of Stephen VII. 

 Guy' did not long furvive the promotion of John, and im- 

 tnediately upon his death, Marozia fent word to his brother 

 Hugh, kingof Lombardy, that (he would make him mailer 

 of Rome, upon the condition of marrying her. To this 

 the prince readily acceded, and took poifeiTion of his bride, 

 and the caftle of St Angelo at the fame time. Hugh ren- 

 dered himfelf hateful to the Romans, and excited the re- 

 fentraent of Alberic, a fon of Marozia by her firfl hufband, 

 who put himfelf at the head of the difcontented, attacked 

 the caftle of St. Angclo, and made himfelf mafter of the 

 fonrefs. In the confiifion Hugh made his efcape, but Ma- 

 rozia and pope John fell into Alberic's hands, who kept 

 them both in clofe confinement during the remainder ot their 

 lives. John died in 936, after a pontificate of nearly five 

 years. 



Joirx XH. pope, whofe origiHal name was Oftavitin, was 

 fon of the Alberic referred to in the laft article. On the 

 death of his father in 9J+, Octavian fucceeded te his dig- 

 nities, and not fatisfied with his temporal power, he alpired 

 to the papal throne when it became vacant in the year 

 956, and fecurtd tlie pofleffion of it to himfelf. On this 



occafion he afTumed the name ef John XII. and thus iti- 

 troducod the cuftom which was afterwards adopted by his 

 fuccelFors of clianging tiieir ufual names for others, upon 

 their acceflion to the pontificate. At this time Bcrenger 

 tyrannized over Italy, and the pope implored the alTiftance of 

 Otho I., who delivered the country. John crowned Otho 

 at Rome, !\nd promifed him fidelity, whicli liowcver was of 

 very ihort duration, for he united with the fun of Berenger 

 againll his deliverer. Otho returned to Rome in 963, and 

 ca'led a council, in which the pope was accufed of adul- 

 terv, iaci-ili-^e, and other crimes, v.hich were fatisfaclorily 

 proved againft him, and he was depofed. When the fen- 

 tence of his depofitiou had been pronounced, the council, 

 cler>»-v, nobihtv, and people, unaninioudyeleiSed Leo VIII. 

 to fill his place. After this, John ieveral times confpircJ 

 againft the life of the new pope, and was as frequently par- 

 doned, till at length he contrived to fet himlcli again on 

 the papal throne. John inftantly aflembled a council of 

 prelates and cardinals, who condemned the council that 

 had depofed him, and paifed different fentences of con- 

 demnation on all thofe who had been acccflary to the ele- 

 vation of his rival. John did not long furvive the holding 

 of this council, for having engaged in a criminal connection 

 with a married woman, the injured huftsand who caught 

 him in the ad put an end to his hohncfs's life and debauch- 

 eries bv fome violent blows which he gave him on his tem- 

 ples. His death is fuppofed to have taken place in 964, 

 after he had filled the papal throne about eight years. A 

 fingle letter of his is inferted in the ninth vol. of the Golleft. 

 Concil. 



JoiiN XIII. pope, was one of the principal accufers of 

 the pope vvhofe hillovy has been juft given. By the part 

 which he took on this occafion, he recommended himfelf 

 to the favour of the emperor Otho, who, after the death of 

 John, returned witli his army to Rome, and held a coun* 

 cil there, in which a decree was palled, confcrr.ng on the 

 emperor and his fucceflbrs for ever the power of nomi- 

 Dating the pope, and of granting inveftiture to biftiops* 

 After the death of Leo VIIL, in the year 965, John 

 was recommended by the emperor as his fucceflbr to the 

 holy fee, which wa.s' decidedly contrary to tjie inclination 

 of the Roman people, who confpired againft him and drove 

 him from his throne. The emperor determined to take am- 

 pl- revenge for this infult, and marching his army, he 

 reilorcd the pope, and fcvercly puniftied thofe who had 

 taken pnrt againft him. He next went to Ravenna, ac- 

 companied by the pope, where he held a council in the 

 year 967. Upon the breaking up of the council the pope 

 returned to Rom", where he fpent the remainder of his life 

 in the unhiolefted polTeilron of his high dignity. In 968 he 

 crowned, in St. Peter's church, the young Otho, king of 

 Germany, whom his father had taken for his partner in 

 the empire, and in the year 971 he crowned as cmprefs 

 Thecphania, daughter of the late eaftern emperor Rcmimus, 

 who was married to Otho tlie younger. John died at Rome 

 in 972, after having prefidcd in the Roman fee nearly fcvcn 

 years. In his pontificate the Poles were firft converted to 

 the Chriftian rehgion, ahd he is faid by fome writers to 

 have been the perfon who introduced the practice of blefling 

 or confecrating cliurch bells. Four letters of this pope 

 may be found in the ninth vol. of the Collect. Concil. 



John- XIV. pope, fucceeded to the papal chair on the 

 death of Benedid VII. in the year 985, an honour whidi 

 he enjovcd but eight montlis. Bonif.Tcc VII. who is claficd 

 among the anti-popes, undertook the cxpuliion of .fohn. 

 He prevailed, feized his rival, confined him in the calUe 

 of St, Angclo, and there cither ftarvcd him to death, or 



