Pope John XII (955 to 964): elected at 18 on his father's orders, deposed, bloody revenge on opponents

In 954 Alberic, the ruler of Rome, made the Roman nobles swear to elect his son Octavian on the death of the pope. In 955 Octavian, aged 18, became Pope John XII. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia he was a coarse, immoral man, and the Lateran was spoken of as a brothel. A synod deposed him in 963. After returning to Rome in 964 he took bloody revenge: a cardinal deacon had his right hand cut off, a bishop was scourged, and a high official lost his nose and ears.

Period

954-964 (10 years)

Country

Italy

Institutions

Pope John XII
Synod of St. Peter's 963
Synod of St. Peter's 964

Category

Torture, Violence

Level of evidence

B two independent scholarly sources · what does this mean?

Persons

John XII (pope 955 to 964, born Octavian)
Alberic (ruler of Rome, had his son designated pope)
Otgar of Speyer (bishop, scourged in 964 on the orders of John XII)

Background

Course of events

1. In 954 Alberic the Younger, the ruler of Rome, made the Roman nobles swear in St. Peter's that on the next vacancy of the papal chair his only son Octavian would be elected. Octavian was elected on 16 December 955 at eighteen years of age and took the name John. The Britannica gives his age on assuming secular rule in 954 as sixteen.
   Evidence: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Bd. 8 (1910), Artikel Pope John XII

   „Before his death he administered an oath (954) 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 .“

   Evidence: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Bd. 8 (1910), Artikel Pope John XII

   „Octavius, then eighteen years of age, was actually chosen his successor on 16 December, 955, and took the name of John.“

   Evidence: Encyclopædia Britannica, 11. Auflage (1911), Artikel John XII.

   „was the son of Alberic, whom he succeeded as patrician of Rome in 954, being then only sixteen years of age“

2. The Catholic Encyclopedia calls him a coarse, immoral man whose life was such that the Lateran palace was spoken of as a brothel; war and the chase suited him better than governing the Church. According to the Britannica, his scandalous private life made the papal office a byword of reproach.
   Evidence: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Bd. 8 (1910), Artikel Pope John XII

   „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 odium“

   Evidence: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Bd. 8 (1910), Artikel Pope John XII

   „War and the chase were more congenial to this pope than church government.“

   Evidence: Encyclopædia Britannica, 11. Auflage (1911), Artikel John XII.

   „which through his scandalous private life he made a byword of reproach“

3. John XII died on 14 May 964. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, rumour had it that he had been struck by paralysis eight days earlier in the act of adultery. The Britannica writes that the manner of his death is uncertain.
   Evidence: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Bd. 8 (1910), Artikel Pope John XII

   „John died on 14 May, 964, eight days after he had been, according to rumour, stricken by paralysis in the act of adultery .“

   Evidence: Encyclopædia Britannica, 11. Auflage (1911), Artikel John XII.

   „John had died, in what manner is uncertain“

Response of the Church

1. At a synod in St. Peter's on 26 February 964 John annulled the decisions of November, excommunicated Leo VIII and all who had elected him, and deprived Bishop Sico of Ostia, who had consecrated Leo, of his dignities forever. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the deposition by the synod of 963 and the elevation of Leo were against the canons and almost universally regarded as invalid.
   Evidence: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Bd. 8 (1910), Artikel Pope John XII

   „On 26 February, 964, John held a synod in St. Peter's in which the decrees of the synod of 6 November were repealed; Leo VIII and all who had elected him were excommunicated“

   Evidence: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Bd. 8 (1910), Artikel Pope John XII

   „Bishop Sico of Ostia , who had consecrated him, was deprived forever of his dignities“

   Evidence: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Bd. 8 (1910), Artikel Pope John XII

   „This proceeding was aginst the canons of the Church , and the enthroning of Leo was almost universally regarded as invalid.“

See also

• 897-904 · 7 years

  Cadaver Synod of 897: Pope Stephen VI had his dead predecessor Formosus exhumed, put on trial and thrown into the Tiber

  • Italy
  • Violence
  • Persecution
• 903-911 · 8 years

  Rome 903/904: Christopher threw Pope Leo V into prison, Sergius III overthrew both; according to the Britannica he had them strangled

  • Italy
  • Violence
  • Murder
• 1032-1048 · 16 years

  Benedict IX sold the papacy in 1045: installed as a youth, three times pope, three popes at once

  • Italy
  • Financial misconduct

Scholarly literature and reference works

1. Reference work
   The Catholic Encyclopedia, Bd. 8 (1910): Pope John XII, 1 January 1910. Original · Archive copy (retrieved 23 Oct 2026)
2. Reference work
   Encyclopædia Britannica, 11. Auflage (1911): John XII., 1 January 1911. Original · Archive copy (retrieved 23 Oct 2026)

Last changed on 23 October 2026. Is something missing or wrong? Suggest an addition or correction.