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John XII
noun
Octavian, died a.d. 964, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 955–964.
Example Sentences
This period also saw the papacy of John XII, who became pope at 18 in 955.
Pope John XII also caused a fair amount of scandal with his private life.
Though some allegations of the young Pope’s doings are likely exaggerated—Otto’s ally Liudprand of Cremona wrote in History of Otto that Pope John XII turned the palace into a “brothel”—the charge that he was not celibate holds up to historical scrutiny.
“It is almost impossible to be a good prince and Pope at the same time,” says Madigan, who points out that not everything from John XII’s reign was scandalous.
Popes after John XII continued to crown emperors until 1530.
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