Anne de Courcy

The perils of being pope

The power of the medieval papacy resembled that of the Holy Roman Emperor – and like the first Roman emperors, popes attracted envy, scandal and violent retribution

Pope John X, smothered to death on the orders of Marozia, a Roman noblewoman and the alleged mistress of Pope Sergius III. [Alamy] 
issue 26 August 2023

Rome in the 1st century AD pulsated with religion. The knowledge that they lived in a sacred city, protected by the gods, permeated the daily lives of its citizens. They would see oxen being led down cobbled streets to be sacrificed on marble altars or offerings of incense and wine being made when the gods or the emperor demanded.

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