John X Took the Papal Throne of the Scandalous Sergius III, as Well as His Papal Mistress
Elevated to Pope in 914, only three years after the death of Sergius III, John X (died 929) differed from that scandalous pope in that he was not as bloodthirsty and murderous. However, he resembled Sergius in his promiscuity and indifference to the vows of celibacy. Indeed, he emulated Sergius so much in that regard, that he literally took up where Sergius had left off, by taking the former pope’s mistress, Marioza, as his own lover.
Born in northern Italy, John became a protege of the Bishop of Bologna, who made him a deacon. From there, he attracted the attention of Theodora, the wife of the powerful Theophylact, Count of Tusculum, and became her lover. Theodora and Theophylact were a power couple who dominated Rome, and who had elevated Sergius III to the papacy. They were also the parents of Marioza, Sergius’ mistress and the mother of his illegitimate son, the future pope John XI.
Through his lover’s influence with her powerful husband, John rose in the clerical hierarchy and was made Archbishop of Ravenna in 905. He spent much of his time as archbishop defending his see from a usurper who sought to replace him. When he was not doing that, he spent his time intriguing unsuccessfully with Pope Sergius to depose Holy Roman Emperor Louis the Blind, and replace him with a more pliable emperor.
In 914, when the papal throne became vacant, John’s patrons summoned him from Ravenna to Rome, where they saw to it that he was elected Pope John X. At the time, Southern Italy was under Muslim occupation, so the new pontiff formed a coalition of Italian nobles, King Berengar I of Italy, and the Byzantines, to drive them out. After defeating the Muslims in 915, John rewarded Berengar by crowning him as Holy Roman Emperor.
In 916, the Pope’s lover, Theodora, died. Her daughter, the former mistress of Pope Sergius III, assumed her mother’s position of power. She also assumed her mother’s position as the Pope’s mistress, and John X thus slept with both mother and daughter. The relationship with the daughter went sour, however, and Marozia eventually became Pope John’s sworn enemy. Particularly after he made his brother Peter the Duke of Spoleto, and appointed him as his principal adviser. Those moves threatened the Italian nobility’s balance of power, and Marioza’s position within that balance.
In 925, Marozia married the pope’s greatest opponent, Guy, Duke of Lucca and Margrave of Tuscany. In 928, Italy’s new power couple invaded Rome, and in a surprise attack on the Lateran Palace, seized the pope and his brother Peter. Peter was hacked to pieces as his horrified brother looked on, and the pope was then thrown into a dungeon. There, Marioza had her husband murder John X by smothering him to death with a pillow.