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Marozia
Marozia, born Maria and also known as Mariuccia or Mariozza ( 890 – 937), was a Roman noblewoman who was the alleged mistress of Pope Sergius III and was given the unprecedented titles ''senatrix'' ("senatoress") and ''patricia'' of Rome by Pope John X. Edward Gibbon wrote of her that the "influence of two sister prostitutes, Marozia and TheodoraHere Gibbon (the author of the famous ''The History of the Decline of the Roman Empire'') confused Theodora (the mother of Marozia) with Theodora (the sister of Marozia) was founded on their wealth and beauty, their political and amorous intrigues: the most strenuous of their lovers were rewarded with the Roman tiara, and their reign may have suggested to darker ages the fable of a female pope. The bastard son, two grandsons, two great grandsons, and one great great grandson of Marozia—a rare genealogy—were seated in the Chair of St. Peter." Pope John XIII was her nephew, the offspring of her younger sister Theodora. From th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marozia Bertolini
Marozia, born Maria and also known as Mariuccia or Mariozza ( 890 – 937), was a Roman noblewoman who was the alleged mistress of Pope Sergius III and was given the unprecedented titles ''senatrix'' ("senatoress") and ''patricia'' of Rome by Pope John X. Edward Gibbon wrote of her that the "influence of two sister prostitutes, Marozia and TheodoraHere Gibbon (the author of the famous ''The History of the Decline of the Roman Empire'') confused Theodora (the mother of Marozia) with Theodora (the sister of Marozia) was founded on their wealth and beauty, their political and amorous intrigues: the most strenuous of their lovers were rewarded with the Roman tiara, and their reign may have suggested to darker ages the fable of a female pope. The bastard son, two grandsons, two great grandsons, and one great great grandson of Marozia—a rare genealogy—were seated in the Chair of St. Peter." Pope John XIII was her nephew, the offspring of her younger sister Theodora. From this desc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saeculum Obscurum
''Saeculum obscurum'' (, "the dark age/century"), also known as the Pornocracy or the Rule of the Harlots, was a period in the history of the Papacy during the first two-thirds of the 10th century, following the chaos after the death of Formosus in 896 which saw seven or eight papal elections in as many years. It began with the installation of Pope Sergius III in 904 and lasted for sixty years until the death of Pope John XII in 964. During this period, the popes were influenced strongly by a powerful and allegedly corrupt aristocratic family, the Theophylacti, and their relatives and allies. The era is seen as one of the lowest points of the history of the Papal office. Periodisation The ''saeculum obscurum'' was first named and identified as a period of papal immorality by the Italian cardinal and historian Caesar Baronius in his ''Annales Ecclesiastici'' in the sixteenth century. Baronius's primary source for his history of this period was a contemporaneous writer, Bishop L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pope Sergius III
Pope Sergius III (c. 860 − 14 April 911) was the bishop of Rome and nominal ruler of the Papal States from 29 January 904 to his death. He was pope during a period of violence and disorder in central Italy, when warring aristocratic factions sought to use the material and military resources of the papacy. At the behest of Theophylact I of Tusculum, Sergius seized the papal throne from Antipope Christopher, who in turn had deposed Pope Leo V. Sergius' reign was subsequently marked by Theophylact's influence. As pope, Sergius continued many ecclesiastical controversies of his predecessors, including conflict over Pope Formosus' legacy, annulling all ordinations made by the late pope, and the '' filioque'' controversy with eastern patriarchs. His pontificate was similarly marked by temporal conflicts, with Sergius' refusal to crown Berengar I of Italy as Holy Roman Emperor, and his support of Byzantine Emperor Leo VI the Wise's fourth marriage. Sergius also saw the restoratio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pope John XI
Pope John XI ( la, Ioannes XI; c. 910 – December 935) was the bishop of Rome and nominal ruler of the Papal States from March 931 to his death. The true ruler of Rome at the time was his mother, Marozia, followed by his brother Alberic II. His pontificate occurred during the period is known as ''Saeculum obscurum''. Parentage John was the son of Marozia, the most powerful woman in Rome and the wife of Alberic I at the time of John's birth. According to hostile chronicler Liutprand of Cremona and the '' Liber Pontificalis'', John's father was not Alberic but Marozia's lover Pope Sergius III. However, neither Auxilius of Naples nor Eugenius Vulgarius, both of whom were exact contemporaries of Sergius, and both of whom were hostile towards Sergius for his attacks on Formosus, mention this allegation at all. The highly reliable chronicler Flodoard also refers to John as the brother of Alberic II, and does not mention the allegation either. Ferdinand Gregorovius, Ernst Dümmle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pope John X
Pope John X ( la, Ioannes X; died 28 May 928) was the bishop of Rome and nominal ruler of the Papal States from March 914 to his death. A candidate of the counts of Tusculum, he attempted to unify Italy under the leadership of Berengar of Friuli, and was instrumental in the defeat of the Saracens at the Battle of Garigliano. He eventually fell out with Marozia, who had him deposed, imprisoned, and finally murdered. John’s pontificate occurred during the period known as the ''Saeculum obscurum''. Early career John X, whose father’s name was also John, was born at Tossignano, along the river Santerno.Levillain, p. 838 He was made a deacon by Peter IV, the bishop of Bologna, where he attracted the attention of Theodora, the wife of Theophylact I of Tusculum, the most powerful noble in Rome. John was a relative of Theodora's family. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hugh Of Arles
Hugh (c. 880–947), known as Hugh of Arles or Hugh of Provence, was the king of Italy from 926 until his death. He belonged to the Bosonid family. During his reign, he empowered his relatives at the expense of the aristocracy and tried to establish a relationship with the Byzantine Empire. He had success in defending the realm from external enemies, but his domestic habits and policies created many internal foes and he was removed from power before his death. Early life Hugh of Arles was born in 880/1, the eldest surviving son of Count Theobald of Arles and Bertha of Lotharingia. By inheritance, he was count of Arles and Vienne, which made him one of the most important and influential nobles in the Kingdom of Provence. After Emperor Louis III was captured, blinded, and exiled from Italy in 905, Hugh became his chief adviser in Provence and regent. By 911, most of the royal prerogatives were exercised by Hugh and Louis ceded him the titles ''dux'' of Provence and ''marchio'' of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theodora (senatrix)
Theodora (c. 870 – 916) was a senatrix and ''serenissima vestaratrix'' of Rome. She was the mother of Marozia, alleged concubine to Pope Sergius III, and the mother of Pope John XI, fathered by—according to Liutprand of Cremona and the ''Liber Pontificalis''—Sergius. A third contemporary source, however—the annalist Flodoard (c. 894–966)—says John XI was the brother of Count Alberic II of Spoleto, the latter being the offspring of Marozia and her husband Count Alberic I of Spoleto. Hence John too was probably the son of Marozia and Alberic I. Theodora was characterized by the aforementioned Liutprand as a "shameless whore ... hoexercised power on the Roman citizenry like a man". Liutprand, a bishop of Cremona, was described by the as frequently being unfair to adversaries and could be partial in his judgments. General bibliography * E. Dümmler, ''Auxilius u. Vulgarius. Quellen und Forschungen zur Geschichte des Papsttums im Anfange des zehnten Jahrhunderts'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guy Of Tuscany
Guy (also ''Guido'' or ''Wido''; raised Leo; called the Philosopher) (died 3 February 929) was the son of Adalbert II of Tuscany with Bertha, daughter of Lothair II of Lotharingia. After the death of his father Adalbert II in 915, he was the Count and Duke of Lucca and Margrave of Tuscany until his own death in 928 or 929. His mother Bertha was his regent from his father's death until 916. He kept court at Mantua around the year 920. In 924 or 925, he became the second husband of Marozia, a Roman noblewoman who had the title ''senatrix patricia Romanorum''. In order to counter the influence of Pope John X (whom the hostile chronicler Liutprand of Cremona alleges was one of Marozia's lovers), Marozia subsequently married his opponent Guy of Tuscany, who loved his beautiful wife as much as he loved power. Together they attacked Rome, arrested Pope John X in the Lateran, and jailed him in the Castel Sant'Angelo. Either Guy had him smothered with a pillow in 928 or he simply died, p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alberic I Of Spoleto
Alberic I (died c. 925) was the Lombard Duke of Spoleto from between 896 and 900 until 920, 922, or thereabouts. He was also Margrave of Camerino, and the son-in-law of Theophylact I, Count of Tusculum, the most powerful man in Rome. Life He first appears as a page to Guy III of Spoleto at the Battle on the Trebbia in 889. He may have later been the count of Fermo, but whatever the case, he succeeded to Spoleto after murdering Duke Guy IV. He was recognised soon by King Berengar I, with whom he fought the Magyars in 899 or 900. Theophylact, Count of Tusculum, in the Alban Hills southeast of Rome served as '' palatine iudex'' (or leader of the militia) for Emperor Louis III. He remained in Rome, commanding a group of soldiers after the emperor’s return to Provence in 902, and was prominent in the overthrow of Antipope Christopher in January 904. Together with Alberic, they secured the succession of Pope Sergius III. Under Sergius, Theophylact became both ''sacri palatii vesta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theophylact, Count Of Tusculum
Theophylact I (before 864 – 924/925) was a medieval count of Tusculum who was the effective ruler of Rome from around 905 through to his death in 924. His descendants controlled the papacy for the next 100 years. Biography Theophylact was the hereditary count of Tusculum, a small hill town near the vicinity of Rome. He is mentioned for the first time in a document of 901 as '' palatine iudex'' (''palace judge'', or leader of the militia) of Emperor Louis the Blind. He remained in Rome, commanding a group of soldiers after the emperor's return to Provence in 902, and was prominent in the overthrow of Antipope Christopher in January 904, whom he very likely ordered to be killed whilst in prison later that year. Theophylact formed an alliance with Duke Alberic I of Spoleto, and with their combined backing, Pope Sergius III was elected in Christopher's place. During his pontificate, Theophylact became Sergius’ '' sacri palatii vestararius'' and ''magister militum'', effectively ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pope Stephen VII
Pope Stephen VII ( la, Stephanus VII; died 15 March 931) was the bishop of Rome and nominal ruler of the Papal States from February 929 to his death in 931. A candidate of the infamous Marozia, his pontificate occurred during the period known as the ''Saeculum obscurum''. Election Stephen was a Roman by birth, the son of Germanic (Goth) Theodemundus/Theudemund .Mann, pg. 189 He was the cardinal-priest of St Anastasia in Rome. He was probably handpicked by Marozia, the true ruler of Rome during the ''Saeculum obscurum'', to become pope as a stop-gap measure until her own son John was ready to assume the role. Pontificate Very little is known about Stephen's pontificate. During his two years as pope, Stephen confirmed the privileges of a few religious houses in France and Italy. As a reward for helping free Stephen from the oppression of Hugh of Arles, Stephen granted Cante di Gabrielli the position of papal governor of Gubbio Gubbio () is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alberic II Of Spoleto
Alberic II (912–954) was ruler of Rome from 932 to 954, after deposing his mother Marozia and his stepfather, King Hugh of Italy. He was of the house of the counts of Tusculum, the son of Marozia by her first husband, Duke Alberic I of Spoleto. His half-brother was Pope John XI. At the wedding of his mother to King Hugh of Italy, Alberic and his new stepfather quarreled violently after Hugh slapped Alberic for clumsiness. Infuriated by this and perhaps motivated by rumors that Hugh intended to have him blinded, Alberic left the festivities and incited a Roman mob to revolt against Hugh. In December 932 Hugh fled the city, Marozia was cast into prison, and Alberic took control of Rome. Marriage and issue In 936 Alberic married his stepsister Alda, the daughter of King Hugh of Italy and had one son by her, Count Gregory I of Tusculum. According to Benedict of Soracte, he also had one illegitimate son, Octavianus, by an unknown mistress. On his deathbed Alberic had Roman nobility ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
