REFORM [867-1046 A.D.]

8167 =Adrian II.=

2868 On death of Lothair II of Lorraine, Adrian attempts to bestow that crown on the emperor Louis II. This extension of the papal prerogatives is not welcome to the German bishops, and they rebuke Adrian.

3870 Hincmar renews his struggle with the pope, and the whole Frankish church arrays itself against the power of the pope in dealing directly with bishops.

4872 =John VIII.= During his pontificate, Rome is constantly in danger from the Saracens.

5875 John bestows the imperial crown on Charles the Bald, not as his right, but as a gift. Victory over Hincmar and the Frankish church by the appointment of Ansegis as primate of France.

6876 Beginning of quarrel with Formosus, bishop of Porto.

7877 In league with Athanasius, duke-bishop of Naples, the Saracens reach the walls of Rome. Charles the Bald ignores John’s appeals for help. The pope compelled to pay the Saracens tribute.

8878 Lambert, duke of Spoleto, in the interest of the imperial claimant, Carloman, enters Rome, seizes John, and imprisons him. John escapes, and flees to Provence. He returns to Rome.

9881 John crowns Charles the Fat emperor.

10882 Death of John, possibly murdered. =Martin II.=

11884 =Adrian III.=

12885 =Stephen V.=

13887 On deposition of Charles the Fat the Carlovingian empire comes to an end.

14891 =Formosus= elected by influence of Guido of Spoleto. The papacy enters a period of anarchy. The popes are elevated by whichever rival party is in the ascendant, “obtaining,” says Reichel, “their pontificate by crime, and vacating it by murder.”

15896 =Boniface VII= dies in a few days. The Italian party elects =Stephen VI=. He mutilates the dead body of Formosus.

16897 Stephen imprisoned and strangled. =Romanus= occupies the see a few months. =Theodore II=, who belongs to the faction of Formosus.

17898 =John IX=, though of Formosus’ party, submits to the emperor Lambert. The right of plundering the pope’s palace, on his decease, is prohibited.

18900 =Benedict IV.=

19901 He crowns Louis of Provence, the rival of Berengar.

20903 =Leo V.= In a few months he is imprisoned by =Christopher=, one of his chaplains, who secures his own election.

21904 Christopher driven from Rome by the soldiers of Berengar. Election of =Sergius III=. The infamous Theodora and her daughters, Marozia and Theodora, have complete influence over Sergius. They further the aims of Berengar’s party. Complete degradation of the papacy.

22911 =Anastasius III.=

23913 =Lando.=

24914 =John X=, archbishop of Ravenna, is elected through influence of Theodora, whose paramour he is. He proves an able pontiff, and forms a league among the Italian dukes to resist the Saracens, and, in furtherance of this project,

25916 crowns Berengar emperor; then, for the first time in the history of the papacy, the pope goes forth to battle, defeats the Saracens, and destroys the fortress of Garigliano.

26925 John expels the marquis Alberic, lover or husband of Marozia. Marozia’s power increases. She seizes the castle of St. Angelo. On death of Alberic she marries Duke Guido of Tuscany.

27926 Treaty between Hugo of Provence and John.

28928 John imprisoned by Marozia’s party, and dies, probably by violence. =Leo VI.=

29929 =Stephen VII.=

30931 =John XI=, son of Marozia and Sergius III or Alberic, elected through his mother’s influence. Guido is dead, and Marozia marries Hugo of Provence.

31932 Rome rebels at this. Alberic, brother of the pope, casts him and Marozia into prison, and makes himself master of Rome. Alberic marries the daughter of Hugo.

32936 Death of John in prison. He has exercised his spiritual functions, but the government of Rome has been conducted by Alberic. =Leo VII.=

33939 =Stephen VIII.=

34941 =Martin III.=

35946 =Agapetus II.= These four are appointed by the sole will of Alberic--they have no power.

36953 Death of Alberic, leaving his authority to his son, Octavian.

37955 On death of Agapetus, Octavian is elected pope. He takes the name of =John XII=, the first to take an ecclesiastical name.

38961 John, threatened by Berengar II, appeals to King Otto I of Germany, who comes at once to Germany and is crowned king at Pavia.

39962 John crowns Otto emperor at Rome. Pope and Roman people take oath of allegiance to Otto. Otto returns to Pavia, and learns that John, fearing his mastery, has entered into correspondence with the deposed Italian king, Adalbert. He sends officers to investigate this, and they return with a long list of crimes charged against John by the Roman people.

40963 Adalbert returns to Rome. Otto marches thither. The pope and Adalbert flee. Trial and deposition of the pope by Otto. =Leo VIII=, the chief secretary of the Roman see, is elected.

41964 Otto leaves Rome. A rebellion forces Leo to flee, and the gates are opened to John, who reassumes his office. The people embrace his cause. Death of John, probably at the hands of an injured husband. Disregarding the emperor and Leo, the people elect a new pope, _Benedict V_. Otto proceeds against the anti-pope, who submits and is degraded. Leo, in council, recognises right of Otto and his successors in the kingdom of Italy to elect his own successors to the empire.

42965 =John XIII= (bishop of Narni). On account of his haughtiness the Romans expel him. The prefect Rotfred assumes government of Rome.

43966 Otto comes to Rome on appeal of John. Rotfred killed; John restored. Otto treats the Romans barbarously. Overawed by Otto, the Romans let John reign in peace.

44972 The see vacant for three months, on death of John, while Otto is consulted. =Benedict VI= elected.

45974 Bonifazio Francone, at the instigation of the Tuscan party, imprisons Benedict, strangles him, and assumes the papacy as _Boniface VII_. This anti-pope compelled to flee in a month to Constantinople. He carries off all the treasure from St. Peter’s. Election of =Benedict VII=, who excommunicates Boniface and, under protection of Otto II, rules in peace.

46983 =John XIV.= Death of Otto in Rome.

47984 Boniface suddenly reappears, imprisons John (who dies by starvation or poison), and seats himself in the papal chair. Re-establishment of the Roman Republic with the consul Crescentius at its head.

48985 Sudden death of Boniface. =John XV.= Crescentius compels him to leave Rome, and he appeals to Otto III.

49987 John is permitted to return. He now rules, but in subjection to the consul and senate.

50996 On death of John, Otto brings about election of his kinsman, =Gregory V= (Bruno, duke of Carinthia). He crowns Otto emperor. Crescentius condemned to exile, but pardoned at intercession of Gregory, to whom he takes oath of fidelity. Crescentius compels Gregory to flee, and puts _John XVI_ (Philagathus) in the papal chair.

51998 Otto, as soon as possible, comes to Italy. John escapes, but is brought back and horribly punished. Crescentius surrenders, and is put to death. Gregory restored.

52999 Death of Gregory, perhaps by poison. =Silvester II= (Gerbert). Otto and Gregory plan together to restore the empire to its grandeur in the Augustan Age--the emperor to have boundless temporal, and the pope boundless spiritual, power.

531001 The Roman nobles revolt at this idea, but are quickly brought to terms.

541002 Death of Otto, probably by poison administered by Stephania, widow of Crescentius.

551003 Death of Gregory, perhaps due also to poisoning by Stephania. The plans to rescue the papacy from the patricians and populace of Rome have thus failed. =John XVII= (Sicco) occupies the see six months. =John XVIII= (Fanasus).

561009 =Sergius IV.= Rome is again a republic, with the patrician John, son of Crescentius, at its head. The Tuscan party is in the ascendency.

571012 =Benedict VIII= elected by the Tusculan party, to which the house of Crescentius has yielded the power. An anti-pope, _Gregory_, is set up by the party of Crescentius. Benedict has to flee, but soon returns to Rome, protected by the emperor Henry II.

581014 Benedict administers a defeat to the Saracens near Pisa.

591021 Benedict assists Henry II in his war against the Byzantines in southern Italy.

601024 On Benedict’s death the Tusculan party elevates his brother, =John XIX=, a layman, to the papal chair.

611033 On John’s death the power of the Tusculan house secures the pontificate for his young nephew, =Benedict IX=.

621042 The “Truce of God” sanctioned.

631044 Benedict, after leading a vicious and depraved life, is driven from Rome by the people. They then elect _Silvester III_, but Benedict returns in triumph, and the anti-pope flees.

641045 Benedict sells the pontificate to _Gregory VI_ (Johannes Gratianus) of the house of Tusculum, a man of learning and unimpeachable chastity, who endeavours to institute reforms.

651046 The scandal of Benedict’s act leads to Henry III assembling the Council of Sutri, which deposes the three popes and elects Suidgar bishop of Bamberg, =Clement II=, to the papal chair. The council gives the emperor the right of nominating future popes, which displeases the Roman clergy and people.