John XII

John XII c.937-964, pope (955-64), a Roman (count of Tusculum) named Octavian; successor of Agapetus II and predecessor of either Leo VIII or Benedict V. His father, Alberic, secured John's election before the latter was 20 years old. John's life was notoriously immoral and his pontificate a disgrace. He called on Otto I to help him against Berengar II of Italy. John crowned (962) Otto the first German emperor, and the two, in the famous Privilegium Ottonis, pledged loyalty to each other. Disliking the emperor's new influence in papal affairs, John sided with Berengar's party against Otto. In retaliation, Otto invaded Rome and called a synod that deposed John and elected Leo VIII as pope. John was restored by Roman insurrectionists shortly before he was mysteriously murdered. Scholars differ on the legitimacy of Leo VIII's reign, as they do on the brief pontificate of Benedict V, elected upon John's death and deposed by Otto shortly thereafter, again in favor of Leo. Leo died in 965.

John XII (d. 964), Pope from 955. The son of a ruler of Rome, he became Pope when he was 18. He appealed to Otto I of Germany to help him against the rulers of N. Italy, King Berengar II and his son. In 962 he crowned Otto Roman Emperor. Otto issued the ‘Privilegium Ottonis’ recognizing the Papal territories in central Italy, but then demanded their allegiance to himself. John engineered a revolt among the imperial troops and sought aid from Berengar and the Byzantines. In 963 Otto presided over a synod in Rome which deposed John and elected in his place a layman ( Leo VIII); he also issued a revised form of the ‘Privilegium Ottonis’ requiring that a newly elected Pope should take an oath of fealty to the Emperor before consecration. In 964 John returned to Rome and deprived Leo but was killed soon afterwards.