Lewis Lapham: Pope Raped Pilgrims in St. Peter’s Basilica
When Pope John XII was elected in 955, he didn’t give up his secular interests. He drank, invoked pagan gods when gambling and loved the ladies.
(To listen to the podcast, click here.)
John had sex with his father’s concubine, his own niece and many other women, turning the Lateran Palace into a “brothel and resort for harlots.” He even raped women pilgrims in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Otto I convened a synod to have John removed from the papacy and replaced with Leo, but when the emperor left Rome, John returned and deposed Leo as a usurper. He took revenge on those who had betrayed him, cutting off the right hand of one man, and the tongue, two fingers and nose of another.
John fled when Otto came back to Rome, and died when he was caught in bed by a cuckolded husband and severely beaten.
I spoke with Paul Collins, author of “The Birth of the West: Rome, Germany, France, and the Creation of Europe in the Tenth Century,” on the following topics:
1. Collapse & Chaos
2. Bad Popes
3. Church & State Intertwined
4. German Stability
5. Feudal Protection Racket
To buy this book in North America, click here.
(Lewis Lapham is the founder of Lapham’s Quarterly and the former editor of Harper’s magazine. He hosts “The World in Time” interview series for Bloomberg News.)
Muse highlights include Zinta Lundborg’s NYC Weekend Best and Jeremy Gerard on theater.
To contact the writer on the story: Lewis Lapham in New York at lhl@laphamsquarterly.org.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.
'The Birth of the West'
PublicAffairs via Bloomberg
"The Birth of the West: Rome, Germany, France, and the Creation of Europe in the Tenth Century," by Paul Collins.
"The Birth of the West: Rome, Germany, France, and the Creation of Europe in the Tenth Century," by Paul Collins. Source: PublicAffairs via Bloomberg
Paul Collins
PublicAffairs via Bloomberg
Paul Collins, author of "The Birth of the West: Rome, Germany, France, and the Creation of Europe in the Tenth Century."
Paul Collins, author of "The Birth of the West: Rome, Germany, France, and the Creation of Europe in the Tenth Century." Source: PublicAffairs via Bloomberg
Lewis Lapham
Paul Goguen/Bloomberg
Lewis Lapham, of "Lapham's Quarterly," in New York.
Lewis Lapham, of "Lapham's Quarterly," in New York. Photographer: Paul Goguen/Bloomberg
Rate this Page
Bloomberg moderates all comments. Comments that are abusive or off-topic will not be posted to the site. Excessively long comments may be moderated as well. Bloomberg cannot facilitate requests to remove comments or explain individual moderation decisions.