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Who was Benedict IX? -

He is regarded as one of the worst popes in history. But who exactly was Benedict IX (c. 1012–c. 1056), and why is he so reviled?

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Benedict's birthplace -

Benedict IX was born Theophylactus of Tusculum in Rome, Italy.

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Papal bloodline -

He was the nephew of two previous popes, Benedict VIII and his immediate successor, John XIX.

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The youngest pope ever -

As a youth, Theophylactus was thrust into the papacy in 1032 by the powerful and wealthy Italian Tusculani family, his father securing his election through bribery. Effectively crowned Bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States, Theophylactus was ill-prepared for such high office.

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Papal party animal -

From the outset of his pontificate, the 20-year-old Benedict IX ran riot in his new role. His unconventional conduct extended to outbursts of violence and unbridled immorality. Dubious revelry under the roof of the Lateran Palace were commonplace.

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Dancing with demons -

Unsurprisingly, the unprincipled pontiff soon made virulent political enemies. Dismayed and disgusted by his debauchery, some even accused him of consorting with the devil at night.

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The plan to bump off Benedict -

Detractors quickly decided to dispatch the errant pope. With murder on their mind, assassins slipped into St. Peter's Basilica clutching garottes.

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Murder attempt eclipsed -

As they crept up on their unsuspecting quarry, fate intervened in Benedict's favor. An eclipse of the sun suddenly shrouded the basilica in shadow, alarming the would-be killers. In the confusion, the pope fled the building.

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Pope Sylvester III -

Deemed highly unsuitable for the Chair of St. Peter, Benedict IX was drummed out of the city in 1045 by a mob of disgruntled Romans. He was replaced by Pope Sylvester III. But the disgraced pontiff refused to give up the papacy.

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Claiming the papacy for a second time -

Sylvester's reign was short. Within weeks amid scenes of chaos and confusion, Benedict marched back into Rome. He kicked out his successor to greedily claim the papal crown for a second time.

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Back in the palace -

Benedict IX was back home in Lateran Palace (during the era of the Papal States, popes rarely resided in the Vatican. Instead, the palace was their habitual residence for about a thousand years).

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Old habits die hard -

It quickly became apparent that old habits die hard. The pope took great pleasure in excommunicating ecclesiastical leaders who were hostile to him. And his dissolute lifestyle once again revolved around cruelty and feasts of fornication.

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Benedict quits the Chair of St. Peter -

And then, out of the blue, Benedict IX suddenly decided he'd had enough of the papacy and waved goodbye to the position. But not before profiting from his office.

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Pope Gregory VI -

In 1045 in an extraordinary act of betrayal, Benedict IX selfishly sold the papacy to his godfather, Giovanni Graziano, a Roman priest, who in return offered Benedict a sizeable pension. Graziano subsequently became Pope Gregory VI, in May 1045. His ascension to the papacy should have drawn a line under the whole squalid affair. But the episode was about to take another dramatic turn.

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Pope Benedict IX vs. Pope Sylvester III -

The following year in a plotline worthy of a modern-day soap opera, both Benedict and Sylvester returned to Rome, each claiming to be pope instead of Gregory. The Roman gossip columns were alive with suspense and intrigue.

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Synod of Sutri -

On December 10, 1046, the Holy Roman Emperor Henry III chaired the Synod of Sutri. The council was convened to settle once and for all the disorder over the papacy. Two of the rival popes—Sylvester and Gregory—each argued their legitimacy in front of the emperor. Benedict stayed away, hiding in his castle. In the end, Henry rejected all three claims and installed the Saxon bishop Suidger of Bamberg as Pope Clement II.

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Pope Clement II -

Great things were expected of Pope Clement II, but less than a year after taking the Papal Coronation Oath, Clement was dead. Rumors circulated that the hapless pontiff had been poisoned, possibly by the disgruntled Benedict. But whatever the cause of his demise, his passing left a vacancy in the palace, and one man couldn't resist reapplying for the position.

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Unprecedented third pontificate -

In fact, Benedict didn't reapply so much as reinstall himself as pope, doing so on November 8, 1047. His was an unprecedented third pontificate.

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The sin of simony -

Rome, however, had never forgiven Benedict for selling out the papacy, and the charge against him of simony—the buying or selling of something spiritual or closely connected with the spiritual—still stood.

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Benedict's days are numbered -

Furthermore, Benedict's scandalous predilection for black magic, illicit flesh, and other people's money attracted the wrath of a by now very angry Henry III.

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Henry III roots out the rot -

Seething with fury and contempt for the unscrupulous governor of the Holy See, Henry ordered his prompt removal from the Lateran Palace.

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Send in Boniface -

On July 17, 1048, Boniface of Tuscany, on Henry's command, entered Rome and confronted the beleaguered pope. Boniface came from the family of the lords of Canossa, and was one of the most powerful nobles in Italy. He was not a man to be argued with.

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Benedict banished -

Benedict was finally banished from Rome. The thorn in the side of the Chair of St. Peter was never again seen in the city.

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Pope Damasus II -

Benedict was replaced by Bavarian native Bishop Poppo of Brixen as Damasus II. His papacy began on July 17, 1048 and ended on August 9, the same year—one of the shortest papal reigns. Speculation reared its ugly head as to the cause of his death, with some suggesting poison and pointing the finger, yet again, to Benedict IX.

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What happened to Benedict IX? -

The fate of the former pontiff, by now excommunicated, remains a mystery. He most likely ended up at Grottaferrata, a small town 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Rome.

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Seeking sanctuary -

Having given up any claim to the papal throne, Benedict probably sought sanctuary in the Abbey of Grottaferrata, where he is supposed to have lived, traditionally as a penitent, until 1055 or 1056.

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Final resting place? -

In fact, it's been suggested that the catacombs under the abbey may hold the mortal remains of the vice-ridden pope.

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Controversial and corrupt -

What is certain is that Benedict IX remains one of the most controversial popes in papal history, and probably its most corrupt.

Sources: (Britannica) (New World Encyclopedia) (Memim)

See also: The vestment, Christianity's liturgical dress code

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