Birth
Pope John XII

• Birth, Marriage, Death in the UK

  Pope John XII

• Order a Birth Certificate

  Pope John XII

• Order a Marriage Certificate

  Pope John XII

• Order a Death Certificate

  Pope John XII

Pope John XII

Births, Marriages, Deaths

John XII
Papacy began	December 16, 955
Papacy ended	May 14, 964
Predecessor	Agapetus II
Successor	Leo VIII
Birth name	Ottaviano
Born	c. 937 Rome, Italy
Died	May 14, 964 Rome, Italy
Other popes named John

John XII (c. 937–May 14, 964), was Pope from December 16, 955 to May 14, 964. The son of Alberic II, Patrician of Rome (932–954), and his daughter Alda of Vienne, he was a seventh generation descendant of Charlemagne on his mother's side.

Before Alberic's death he administered an oath to the Roman nobles in St. Peter's, that on the next vacancy of the papal chair his only son, Octavius, should be elected pope. He succeeded his father as Patrician of Rome in 954, at only seventeen years of age. After the death of the reigning pontiff, Agapetus II, Octavius, then eighteen years of age, was actually chosen his successor on 16 December, 955. His original name was Octavius, but when he assumed the papal see as successor to Pope Agapetus II (946–955), he adopted the apostolic name of John XII. This was the second example of taking a regnal name upon elevation to the papal chair, the first being Pope John II (533–535). Pope John XII was a coarse, immoral man, whose life was such that the Lateran was spoken of as a brothel, and the moral corruption in Rome became the subject of general disgrace.

An account of the charges leveled against him from Patrologia Latina includes:

Then, rising up, the cardinal priest Peter testified that he himself had seen John XII celebrate Mass without taking communion. John, bishop of Narni, and John, a cardinal deacon, professed that they themselves saw that a deacon had been ordained in a horse stable, but were unsure of the time. Benedict, cardinal deacon, with other co-deacons and priests, said they knew that he had been paid for ordaining bishops, specifically that he had ordained a ten-year-old bishop in the city of Todi... They testified about his adultery, which they did not see with their own eyes, but nonetheless knew with certainty: he had fornicated with the widow of Rainier, with Stephana his father's concubine, with the widow Anna, and with his own niece, and he made the sacred palace into a whorehouse. They said that he had gone hunting publicly; that he had blinded his confessor Benedict, and thereafter Benedict had died; that he had killed John, cardinal subdeacon, after castrating him; and that he had set fires, girded on a sword, and put on a helmet and cuirass. All, clerics as well as laymen, declared that he had toasted to the devil with wine. They said when playing at dice, he invoked Jupiter, Venus and other demons. They even said he did not celebrate Matins and the canonical hours nor did he make the sign of the cross.

Enemies defeated him in battle and occupied lands that belonged to the popes. In order to protect himself against the intrigues in Rome and the power of Berengar II of Italy (950–963), John made a deal with Otto I, king of the Germans. He pledged allegiance to Otto and crowned him emperor of the Holy Roman Empire on February 2, 962. In return, Otto promised to recognize only John as pope. Ten days later, the pope and emperor ratified the Diploma Ottonianum, under which the emperor became the guarantor of the independence of the papal states. This was the first effective guarantee of such protection since the Carolingian Empire. After Otto left Rome and reconquered the Papal States from Berengar, however, John became fearful of the emperor's power and sent envoys to the Magyars and the Byzantine Empire to form a league against Otto. His intrigues were discovered by Otto I, who, after defeating and imprisoning Berengar II, returned to Rome. Otto I subsequently summoned a council which deposed John XII, who was in hiding in the mountains of Campania, and elected Pope Leo VIII (963–965) in his stead.

An attempt at a revolt was made by the inhabitants of Rome even before Otto I left the city. Upon his departure, John XII returned at the head of a formidable company of friends and retainers, thus causing Leo VIII to seek safety in immediate flight. The Emperor determined to make an effort in support of Leo VIII, but before he reached the city John XII had died. The manner of his death is uncertain, although it was rumored that he was murdered by a jealous husband whose wife had been discovered receiving the sexual affections of the Pope.^{[citation needed]}

Pope Benedict V (964) soon succeeded him but was successfully deposed by Leo VIII.

Birth certificate
See also

• List of ages of popes
• List of sexually active popes

Birth certificate
References

• Russell Chamberlin. 2003. The Bad Popes. Sutton Publishing. p. 955-963.
• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

Birth certificate
External links

• http://www.rotten.com/library/bio/religion/popes/john-xii/
• Opera Omnia by Migne Patrologia Latina with analytical indexes

v • d • e Catholic Church Organizations, Papacy, Teachings and Liturgical Traditions History Jesus · Twelve Apostles · Early Christianity · History of the Papacy · Councils · Crusades · Missions · Great Schism of East · Great Schism of West · Reformation · Counter-Reformation · Roman Catholicism by country Hierarchy Pope · Cardinals · Patriarchs · Major Archbishops · Primates · Metropolitans · Archbishops · Diocesan Bishops Theology Trinity · Original sin · One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church · Worship · Divine Grace · Salvation · Sermon on the Mount · The Ten Commandments · Dogma · Body and Soul Sacraments Baptism · Confirmation · Eucharist · Penance · Anointing of the Sick · Holy Orders · Matrimony Mariology Mariology · Veneration · History of Mariology · Mariology of the saints · Mariology of the popes · Marian Doctrines · Mother of God · Perpetual Virginity · Immaculate Conception  · Assumption Doctors of the Church Albertus Magnus · Ambrose · Anselm of Canterbury · Anthony of Padua · Thomas Aquinas · Athanasius of Alexandria · Augustine of Hippo · Basil of Caesarea · Bede · Robert Bellarmine · Bernard of Clairvaux · Bonaventure · Petrus Canisius · Catherine of Siena · Peter Chrysologus · John Chrysostom · Cyril of Alexandria · Cyril of Jerusalem · Peter Damian · Ephrem the Syrian · Francis de Sales · Gregory the Great · Gregory of Nazianzus · Hilary of Poitiers · Isidore of Seville · Jerome · John of Damascus · John of the Cross · Lawrence of Brindisi · Leo the Great · Alphonsus Liguori · Thérèse de Lisieux · Teresa of Ávila Pope Benedict XVI Conclave · Theology · Works · Deus Caritas Est · Sacramentum Caritatis · Summorum Pontificum · Spe Salvi Preceding Popes Pope John Paul II · Pope Paul VI · Pope John XXIII · Pope Pius XII · Pope Pius XI · Pope Benedict XV · Pope Pius X · Pope Leo XIII · Pope Pius IX Orders & Societies Assumptionist · Augustinian Order · Benedictines · Capuchin Order · Carmelites · Carthusians · Congregations of Holy Cross · Dominican Order · Franciscan orders · Jesuits · Oratory of Saint Philip Neri Vatican II Second Vatican Council · Definition of the Church · Gaudium et Spes · Lumen Gentium · Nostra Aetate Particular Churches sorted by Liturgical Traditions Alexandrian · Coptic · Ethiopic · Antiochian · Maronite · Syriac · Syro-Malankara · Armenian · Armenian · Byzantine · Albanian · Belarusian · Bulgarian · Croatian · Greek · Hungarian · Italo-Greek · Macedonian · Melkite · Romanian · Russian · Ruthenian · Slovak · Ukrainian · East Syrian · Chaldean · Syro-Malabar · Roman · Ambrosian · Sarum · Mozarabic · Anglican Use · Latin · Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter Pope Portal Catholicism Portal

v • d • e History of the Roman Catholic Church History of Roman Catholic Churches and rites including · Alexandrian · Armenian · Byzantine · West Syrian · Chaldean General History of the Roman Catholic Church · History of the Papacy  · Ecumenical Councils  · Timeline of the Roman Catholic Church · History of Christianity  · Role of Roman Catholic Church in civilization  · Art in Roman Catholicism  · Roman Catholic religious order  · Christian monasticism  · Papal States Church beginnings Jesus · Twelve Apostles · Peter the Apostle  · Paul the Apostle  · Council of Jerusalem  · St. Stephen  · St. John  · Ignatius of Antioch  · Irenaeus of Lyons  · Pope Victor I · Tertullian · Apostolic Fathers Constantine to Gregory the Great Constantine I and Christianity  · Arianism  · Lateran Basilica  · First Council of Nicaea  · Pope Sylvester I  · First Council of Constantinople  · Canon  · Jerome  · Vulgate  · Council of Ephesus  · Council of Chalcedon · St Benedict · Second Council of Constantinople · Pope Gregory I · Gregorian Chant. Early Middle Ages Third Council of Constantinople  · Saint Boniface · Iconclasm  · Second Council of Nicaea  · Charlemagne · Pope Leo III  ·  · Fourth Council of Constantinople  · East-West Schism High Middle Ages Pope Urban II · Investiture controversy · Crusades  · First Council of the Lateran  · Second Council of the Lateran  · Third Council of the Lateran  · Pope Innocent III  · Latin Empire of Constantinople  · Saint Francis of Assisi  · Fourth Council of the Lateran  · Inquisition  · First Council of Lyons  · Second Council of Lyons  · Bernard of Clairvaux  · Thomas Aquinas Late Middle Ages Boniface VIII  · Avignon Papacy  · Pope Clement V  · Council of Vienne  · Knights Templar  · Catherine of Siena · Pope Alexander VI Reformation and Counter Reformation Protestant Reformation  · Counter Reformation  · Thomas More  · Pope Leo X  · Jesuits  · Francis Xavier  · Dissolution of the Monasteries · Council of Trent  · Pope Pius V · Tridentine Mass  · Robert Bellarmine Baroque Period to French Revolution Pope Innocent XI  · Benedict XIV  · Suppression of the Jesuits  · Anti-clerical measures  · Pope Pius VI  · Shimabara Rebellion  · Edict of Nantes  · French Revolution 19th Century Pope Pius VII  · Pope Pius IX  · Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary  · Our Lady of Lourdes  · First Vatican Council  · Dogma of the Papal infallibility · Leo XIII  · Rerum Novarum 20th Century Pope Saint Pius X  · Our Lady of Fatima · Persecutions · Pius XII  · Dogma of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary  · Second Vatican Council  · Paul VI  · John Paul II 21st Century Pope Benedict XVI · World Youth Day 2008 Pope Portal Catholicism Portal