Following the death of the philanderer, Pope John XII, a schism began to emerge between the military empire of Germany and Constantinople’s imperial whims on the Italian peninsula while the Rome remained at the center. Which side would the pontiffs choose –Germany or Byzantium? With John out of the way, German ruler Otto assumed Rome would simply re-appoint his own preferred pope, Leo VIII, however the bishops of Rome would have none of this bullying. They preferred a reformer who maintained a morally unimpeachable character and thus they elected Benedict V as the next pope. However, a furious Otto besieged Rome until Benedict was dethroned and exiled to Hamburg (where he died two years later). Benedict had only been pope for about a month. In his stead, Otto placed Leo back on the throne and when he also died two years later, Otto forced John XIII into the papacy, though…
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