When was Pope John XII born?

Pope John XII was born on 937 in Rome.

What positions has Pope John XII held?

Positions held by Pope John XII include: Pope (0955–0964).

Public domain

Suggest a better photo · Report

Pope John XII

Head of the Catholic Church from 955 to 964

नेपालीमा पढ्नुहोस् · हिंदी में पढ़ें

नेपाली · English · हिंदीRead in your language
CitedEvery fact sourced
Ad-freeNo ads, no tracking

Pope John XII (Latin: Ioannes XII; c. 930/937 – 14 May 964), born Octavian, was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 16 December 955 to his death in 964. He was related to the counts of Tusculum, a powerful Roman family which had dominated papal politics for over half a century. He became Pope somewhere between the ages of 17 and 25. If he was 17 then he may have been the youngest Pope in history; if not, that title may belong to Benedict IX, who was between the ages of 11 and 20 when elected.

Quick facts

Born: 937 wd
Place of birth: Rome wd
Died: 14 May 964 wd
Place of death: Rome wd
Occupation: Catholic priest, ruler, writer wd

Positions held wd

Pope (16 December 955 – 14 May 964)

About

In 960, he clashed with the Lombards to the south. Unable to control Rome easily, he sought help from King Otto I of Germany and crowned him emperor. John XII's pontificate became infamous for the alleged depravity and worldliness with which he conducted his office. He soon fell out with Otto who, in 963, convened a synod in Rome which purported to depose John XII for his crimes and elect Leo VIII as his successor. John XII died several months after the synod declared him to be deposed.

He is almost universally regarded as one of the worst Popes in history.

Questions

When was Pope John XII born?: Pope John XII was born on 937 in Rome.
What positions has Pope John XII held?: Positions held by Pope John XII include: Pope (0955–0964).

Sources

Last updated 3 November 2026 · facts checked 5 November 2026

Cite this page

"Pope John XII". DigiNepal. Last updated 3 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/pope-john-xii. Retrieved 5 November 2026.

Machine-readable versions: JSON · Markdown

Text from the Wikipedia article Pope John XII, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Otto I begegnet Papst Johannes XII (cropped).jpg, Public domain.

Is this you, or do you work in this person's office? Claim this profile