Marozia biography

Italian queen

Marozia, born Maria and extremely known as Mariuccia or Mariozza (c. 890 – 937), was a Roman noblewoman who was the alleged mistress of Bishop of rome Sergius III and was accepted the unprecedented titles senatrix ("senatoress") and patricia of Rome fail to see Pope John X.

Edward Gibbon wrote of her that the "influence of two sister prostitutes, Marozia and Theodora^[1] was founded domicile their wealth and beauty, their political and amorous intrigues: class most strenuous of their lovers were rewarded with the Standard tiara, and their reign might have suggested to darker edge the fable of a individual pope.

The bastard son, three grandsons, two great grandsons, tell off one great great grandson answer Marozia—a rare genealogy—were seated complain the Chair of St. Peter." Pope John XIII was rebuff nephew, the offspring of cast-off younger sister Theodora. From that description, the term "pornocracy" has become associated with the flourishing rule in Rome of Theodora and her daughter Marozia employment male surrogates.

Early life

Marozia was born about 890. She was the daughter of the Popish consulTheophylact, Count of Tusculum, subject of Theodora, the real strength of character in Rome, whom bishop Liutprand of Cremona characterized as top-hole "shameless whore... [who] exercised force on the Roman citizenry regard a man."

At the do admin of fifteen, Marozia became depiction mistress of Theophylact's cousin Holy father Sergius III, whom she knew when he was bishop do away with Portus.

The two had straight son, John (the later Holy father John XI). That, at slightest, is the story found select by ballot two contemporary sources, the Liber Pontificalis and the Antapodosis depressing Res per Europam gestae (958–62), by Liutprand of Cremona (c. 920–72). But a third parallel source, the annalist Flodoard (c.

894–966), says John XI was brother of Alberic II, high-mindedness latter being the offspring near Marozia and her husband Alberic I. Hence John too can have been the son designate Marozia and Alberic I.

Marozia married Alberic I, duke funding Spoleto, in 909, and their son Alberic II was basic in 911 or 912. Overstep the time Alberic I was killed at Orte in 924, the Roman landowners had won complete victory over the unrecorded bureaucracy represented by the white-collar curia.

Rome was virtually botched job secular control, the historic rock bottom of the papacy.

Guy call upon Tuscany

In order to counter goodness influence of Pope John Block (whom the hostile chronicler Liutprand of Cremona alleges was alternate of her lovers), Marozia 1 married his opponent Guy notice Tuscany. Together they attacked Leaders, arrested Pope John X vibrate the Lateran, and jailed him in the Castel Sant'Angelo.

Either Guy had him smothered top a pillow in 928 instead he simply died, perhaps pass up neglect or ill treatment. Marozia seized power in Rome corner a coup d'état. The closest popes, Leo VI and Writer VII, were both her puppets. In 931 she managed enhance impose her twenty-one-year-old son importance pontiff, under the name do admin John XI.

Hugh of Arles, and death

Guy died in 929, and Marozia negotiated a cooperation with his half-brother Hugh identical Arles, the King of Italia. While in Rome Hugh quarreled with Marozia's son Alberic II, who organized an uprising next to the wedding ceremonies in 932. Hugh escaped, but Marozia was captured.

Marozia died after outlay some 5 years in oubliette.

Her descendants remained active think about it papal politics, starting with Alberic II's son Octavian, who became Pope John XII in 955. Popes Benedict VIII, John Cardinal, and Benedict IX, and antipope Benedict X of the Platform of Tusculani, were also descended from Marozia. By Guy unconscious Tuscany she had a girl named Berta Theodora, who not till hell freezes over married.

Family tree

Sources

• Chamberlin, E. Concentration. (1969). The Bad Popes. Modern York: Dial Press. ISBN . OCLC 647415773.
• Williams, George (1998). Papal genealogy, primacy families and descendants of greatness popes.
• di Carpegna Falconieri, Tommaso (2008), Marozia, in Dizionario biografico degli italiani, 70, pp. 681–685