![House of Crescentius](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/House_of_Crescentius.jpg)
Crescentius the Elder (died 7 July 984) was a
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
and
aristocrat
The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...
in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
who played a part in the
papal appointment
Papal appointment was a medieval method of selecting a pope. Popes have always been selected by a council of Church fathers, however, Papal selection before 1059 was often characterized by confirmation or nomination by secular European rulers or ...
.
Family
With the disappearance of the
Carolingian dynasty the papal government of Rome lost its most powerful protector, and the Romans took matters into their own hands.
Out of the local aristocracy there arose a powerful family, which assumed the practical charge of all governmental affairs in Rome, controlled the nominations to the papal throne, and held the power for many years.
At the beginning of the tenth century the family was represented by
Theophylact I, 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 th ...
, ''
vestararius
The ''vestararius'' was the manager of the medieval Roman Curia office of the ''vestiarium'' (cf. the Byzantine imperial wardrobe and treasury, the ''vestiarion''), responsible for the management of papal finances as well as the papal wardrobe.Lu ...
'' or high dignitary of the papal palace and the pontifical government, by his wife
Theodora
Theodora is a given name of Greek origin, meaning "God's gift".
Theodora may also refer to:
Historical figures known as Theodora
Byzantine empresses
* Theodora (wife of Justinian I) ( 500 – 548), saint by the Orthodox Church
* Theodora o ...
, and their two daughters
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 ...
and Theodora. Theophylact had the titles of
Consul
Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...
and
Senator of the Romans. Crescentius was a descendant of this family, being a grandson of Theophylact's daughter Theodora.
Pope Benedict VI
Crescentius ("Crescentius of the Marble Horse") was first mentioned as being one of the nobles who attended the
Synod of Rome which deposed
Pope John XII
Pope John XII ( la, Ioannes XII; c. 930/93714 May 964), born Octavian, was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 16 December 955 to his death in 964. He was related to the counts of Tusculum, a powerful Roman family which had do ...
in 963, on the orders of the
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
Otto I
Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of He ...
(936-73). His presence there signified that, at this point, Crescentius was aligned to the imperial party.
[ Gregorovius, Ferdinand, ''The History of Rome in the Middle Ages, Vol. III'' (1895), p. 344]
According to the records, he took an active hand in Roman affairs for the first time in 974. At the death of
Pope John XIII (965-72), who was a brother of Crescentius, the emperor Otto I designated as his successor the
Cardinal-Deacon
A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...
Benedict, who took the name
Benedict VI (972-74). The Romans bore the constant interference of the emperor in the papal elections with ill-concealed indignation.
About a year after the death of Otto I, when his successor
Otto II
Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (''der Rote''), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy. ...
(973-83) was engaged in wars at home, they rebelled against the imperial regime under the headship of Crescentius.
The unfortunate Pope Benedict VI was dethroned, thrown into the
Castel Sant'Angelo
The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as Castel Sant'Angelo (; English: ''Castle of the Holy Angel''), is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausol ...
, and strangled there in July, 974.
Pope Boniface VII
The
deacon
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...
Franco, a Roman, son of Ferrucius, was chosen to succeed, and took the name of
Boniface VII (974). The protests of the imperial envoy Sicco were of no avail against this manifestation of national aspirations on the part of the Romans. Soon, however, the imperial party gained the upper hand; Pope Boniface VII was forced to flee to
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
;
Benedict VII
Pope Benedict VII ( la, Benedictus VII; died October 983) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from October 974 to his death.
Family and early career
Benedict was born in Rome, the son of David or Deodatus and nephew of Alberic ...
(974-83) was chosen in his place, and Crescentius disappeared for a time.
In all likelihood Crescentius took an active part in the restoration of Boniface VII in 984.
After the death of the Emperor Otto II (December, 983) the anti-imperial party believed that the time had come for reasserting itself. In April, 984, Boniface VII returned from Constantinople and took possession of Rome.
Pope John XIV
Pope John XIV ( la, Ioannes XIV; died 20 August 984), born Pietro Canepanova, was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from November 983 until his death.
Early career
Canepanova was born at Pavia. He was bishop of Pavia and served ...
(983-4), who had been appointed by the Emperor Otto II, was imprisoned in the Castel Sant'Angelo, where he perished about four months afterwards, and Boniface VII (984-5) ruled again as pope up to the time of his death in July, 985.
Later life
Towards the end of his life, whether before or after the restoration of Boniface VII is uncertain, Crescentius
took the monastic habit in the monastery of
St. Alexius on the
Aventine, where he died, 7 July 984, and was buried within the
cloister
A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...
. The epitaph on his tomb (Armellini, ''Le Chiese di Roma'', 586) is still visible.
See also
*
Crescentii
The Crescentii (in modern Italian Crescenzi) were a baronial family, attested in Rome from the beginning of the 10th century and which in fact ruled the city and the election of the popes until the beginning of the 11th century.
History
Several ...
*
Counts of Tusculum
The counts of Tusculum, also known as the Theophylacti, were a family of secular noblemen from Latium that maintained a powerful position in Rome between the 10th and 12th centuries. Several popes and an antipope during the 11th century came fr ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elder, Crescentius The
People of medieval Rome
984 deaths
Year of birth unknown
History of the papacy