Pope Benedict IX: Three Time Pope

It was “all in the family” for the Tusculum counts. Brothers, Popes Benedict VIII and John XIX, ruled twenty years between them before dying. There was one brother left and he was filthy rich and very powerful. Wanting to keep the papacy in the family, he...

Pope John XIX: The Originator of Indulgences

Romanus of Tusculum was the brother of Pope Benedict VIII. While his brother was on the throne of Peter, Romanus, a layman, was both counsel and senator of Rome, wielding much power. When Benedict died in April 1024, Romanus may have paid his way onto the empty...
Pope Benedict VIII: The First Tusculum Pope

Pope Benedict VIII: The First Tusculum Pope

This, in some ways is the story of two families who used to be close, but over the generations, grew to hate each other. You may remember Theophylact, the Roman dictator, who married Theodora, a member of the Crescenti family. Their daughter, Marozia, became a...