212 J O 
One of the firft meafures of his pontificate was to raife an 
army, at the head of which he marched againft Pandulph 
prince of Capua, mod probably with.a defign of becom¬ 
ing mailer of his dominions ; but Pandulph being joined 
by Girulph prince of Salerno, who apprehended that he 
fhould be the next victim of the pope’s ambition, their 
united forces entirely defeated John’s army, who hirnfelf 
narrowly efcaped falling into their hands. Being by this 
experiment in feme meafure cured of his paffion for ex¬ 
tending his dominions, John returned to Rome, where he 
abandoned hirnfelf to'all manner of wickednefs and de¬ 
bauchery. In the mean time Berenger king or Italy, 
and his fon Adalbert, or Albert, whom he had affociated 
with hirnfelf in the fovereignty, exercifed their govern¬ 
ment with the greateft tyranny and oppreffion, loading 
the clergy, as well as laity, not excepting the Romans 
themfelvfes, with the mod exorbitant taxes. Unable to 
bear his yoke, John fent ambaffadors in the year 961, to 
O.tho the Great, king of Germany, entreating him to 
march into Italy at the head of a powerful army, to de¬ 
liver the church and the people from the tyranny under 
which they groaned ; adding a folemn promile, that in 
requital for tiiofe fervices he would crown him emperor. 
To this application Otho gladly lidened ; and, having 
entered Italy with a large body of troops in the latter end 
Gf the year, the forces of Berenger fled every where be¬ 
fore him, and the Italians flocked from all quarters to 
join him. Being arrived at Rome early in 962, he was 
there crowned emperor with the ufual folemnity; on 
which occafion, he promifed upon oath to defend the Ro¬ 
man church againd all her enemies, and to maintain her 
in the poffeffion of all her privileges; and at the fame 
time, he obliged the pope and the Romans to fwear obe¬ 
dience to him, and that they would lend no kind of affift- 
ance to Berenger or his Ion Albert. There was luch a 
contrariety, however, between the pontiff’s morals and 
thole of the jud and virtuous Otho, that the former, con¬ 
ceiving that the emperor would not connive at his fcan- 
daious manners, loon began to repent of the dep which 
he had taken; and, no fooner had Otho departed from 
Rome, than, unmindful of his oath, the pope entered into 
a correfpondence with Albert, who had taken refuge 
among the Saracens, in conjunction with whom he flat¬ 
tered hirnfelf that he might let the power of the emperor 
at defiance, and purfue'uncontrouled his licentious courfe 
of life. When the emperor received intelligence of this 
correfpondence, he fent ambaffadors to Rome, to remon- 
drate againd John’s breach of his oath, who met with a 
very indifferent reception from the pope, and received 
from the Romans a Ihocking account of the debauched 
life which he publicly led. 
Soon afterwards Otho was informed, that the pope had 
openly declared for Albert, and had admitted him with 
all his followers into Rome. The emperor, loft no time 
in taking meafures to punilh this revolt; and, putting 
hirnfelf at the head of his army, advanced againd the con¬ 
federates. When the pope and Albert heard of his ap¬ 
proach, defpairing of being able to withdand his forces, 
they plundered the church of St. Peter, and fled, carry¬ 
ing along with them all the wealth which they found 
there. The emperor entered Rome in the year 963 ; and, 
after fettling the civil government of the city, called a 
council to examine into the conduct of John. In this 
council, the pontiff was accufed and convicted of fuel) a 
variety of crimes againd judice, humanity, virtue, and 
decorum, that a decree was paffed to degrade him from 
his high office, itrthe mod ignominious manner, as a mon- 
fter who podeffed not one Angle virtue to atone for his 
numerous vices. When the fentence of his depofition 
had been pronounced, the council, clergy, nobility, and 
people, unanimoufly elefted Leo VIII. to fill his place. 
See the article Germany, vol. viii. p. 473. 
As the Romans feemed all extremely well pleafed with 
their new pontiff, the emperor was induced to difmifs the 
greater part of his army. When John was' apprifed of 
H N. 
this circumftance, by means of his emifiaries he bribed s 
confiderable body of the profligate Romans, who were 
prevailed upon to attempt a revolution, and to murder 
the emperor, as well as the new pope. They conducted 
their confpiracy with the utmofl fecrecy, and on a day 
fixed, in the beginning of the year 964, advanced in arms 
againd the emperor’s quarters. Upon the firft alarm, 
hpwever, with the few troops which he had with him he 
attacked die rebels, put them to flight, and purfued them 
with great daughter, till his humanity led him to check, 
the fury of his brave defenders. On the following day, 
at the requeft of pope Leo, the good-natured prince grant¬ 
ed them a free pardon, upon their taking anew the oath 
of allegiance, and delivering hoftages for their obfervance 
of it. Not long afterwards the emperor repaired to Ca- 
merino, having liberated the hoftages before bis depar¬ 
ture, juftly expecting to fecure the affeftion as well as fide¬ 
lity of the Romans by fuch a mark of confidence. Scarce¬ 
ly had the emperor quitted Rome, before a plot was laid 
foranew revolution. The profligate companions of John, 
with whom he was accuftomed to riot, and fpend the 
greateft part of his time, found means to fecure fuch a 
number of partifans, among perfons of all ranks, that 
they determined on his reftoration; and, by them the de- 
pofed pope was unexpectedly brought hack, admitted into 
the city, and attended in a kind of triumph to the Late- 
ran palace. Leo had the good fortune to efcape to the 
emperor; but feveral of his friends and adherents were 
treated with great barbarity. John immediately affem- 
bled a council of prelates and cardinals, devoted to his 
will and pleafure, who condemned the council which had 
depofed him, as an unlawful and uncanonical meeting 5 
depofed and anathematifed Leo; and paffed different fen- 
tentes of condemnation on all thofe who had been accef- 
fory to his elevation. John did not long furvive the hold¬ 
ing of this council; for, having foon afterwards engaged 
in a criminal connection with a married woman, the in¬ 
jured hufband, who caught him in his bed, liaftened the 
end of his holinefs’s infamous life, by fome violent blows 
which he gave him on the temples. His death is fuppofed 
to have taken place in 964, after he had filled the papal 
throne about eight years. 
JOHN XIII. pope, was a native of Rome, and the fon 
of a bifliop of the fame name. The firft circumftance 
which we find related concerning him is his attendance, 
as bifliop of Narni, in the council held at Rome to ex¬ 
amine into the conduft of John XII. of whom he was one 
of the principal accufers. By the part which he took on 
this occafion he recommended hirnfelf to the favour of 
the emperor Otho, who, after the death of that unworthy 
pontiff, returned with his army to Rome, and held a coun¬ 
cil there, in which a decree was palled, conferring on the 
emperor and his fucceffors for ever the power of nomi¬ 
nating the pope, and of granting the inveftiture to bi- 
fliops. After the death of Leo VIII. in the year 965, the 
Romans fent deputies to the emperor, tojearn his pleafure 
concerning the election of a pope;. and,'on his recom¬ 
mendation, the bifliop of Narni was chofen to that dig¬ 
nity. As he owed his promotion to the emperor, he was 
zealoufly attached to his interefts, and in fupport of them 
difplayed much haughtinefs, and affumed a degree of 
power which provoked the enmity of the Roman nobility, 
who affefted to retain the liberty which they enjoyed un¬ 
der Alberic. They therefore entered .into a confpiracy 
againft him ; and, being aflifted by the prefect, and a lead¬ 
ing man in the city named Rotfred; they caufed the pope 
to be arrefted, and fent him prifoner into Campania. 
They foon thought it prudent, however, to Let him at li¬ 
berty, when he retired to Capua, where he was received 
with the higheft refpeft,. and hofpitably entertained by 
Pandulph, the prince of that city. During his fefidence 
at Capua, John eredted it into a metropolis, and ordained 
the brother of Pandulph the flrd archbilhop. At the ex¬ 
piration of ten months, the Romans, hearing that the em r 
peror was marching with his army to reftore the pope. 
