Pope Benedict V

Bishop of Rome
Bishop of Rome
	Miniature of Benedict V in a fragment from his grave monument
Church	Catholic Church
Papacy began	22 May 964
Papacy ended	23 June 964
Predecessor	John XII
Successor	Leo VIII
Personal details
Born	Benedetto; Rome, Papal States
Died	4 July 965; Hamburg, Holy Roman Empire
	Other popes named Benedict

Pope Benedict V (

Emperor Otto I. His brief pontificate occurred at the end of a period known as the Saeculum obscurum

.

Early career

Benedict was the son of a Roman called John, and was born and raised in Rome around the vicinity of the

Otto I, and the subsequent election of Otto's candidate, Pope Leo VIII

.

Election

The Roman people, unhappy with the election of Leo VIII as

consecrated bishop and crowned pope on 22 May 964.^[4]

The Romans swore an oath to Benedict that they would not abandon him and would protect him against Otto.

Otto however, upon hearing the news, resolved to restore his candidate as pope. He marched and proceeded to besiege Rome, blockading it so that no one was able to leave the city. The result was famine, as the land around the city was ravaged, and a single

excommunicate the emperor and his army, the Romans soon decided to capitulate. Opening the gates to Otto, they handed Benedict over to him on 23 June 964.^[6]

Overthrow

Together with his clerical and lay supporters, and clad in his pontifical robes, Benedict was brought before a synod which Leo had convened. Benedict was asked by the archdeacon how he dared to assume the chair of Saint Peter while Leo was still alive. He was also accused of having broken his oath to the emperor, where he promised never to elect a pope without the emperor's consent.^[7] Benedict responded: “If I have sinned, have mercy on me.” Having received a promise from the emperor that his life would be spared if he submitted, Benedict threw himself at Leo's feet and acknowledged his guilt.^[8]

The synod revoked his episcopal consecration, his

Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen.^[10] His period of exile was brief; Adam of Bremen

noted:

”The archbishop [Adaldag] kept him with great honour till his death; for he is said to have been both holy and learned and worthy of the Apostolic See. . . . And so living a holy life with us, and teaching others how to live well, he at length died a happy death just when the Romans had come to ask the emperor that he might be restored.”[11]

Although he was treated well by Archbishop Adaldag, many others considered him an antipope, and attempted to keep him ostracised. Archbishop Libentius I (the successor of Adaldag) commented:

”When the Lord Pope Benedict was an exile in these parts, I sought him out; and though every effort was made to prevent my going to him, I would never allow myself to be influenced against the Pope. But, as long as he lived, I closely adhered to him.”^[12]

Death and burial

Benedict died on 4 July 965 and was buried in the

Obodrites

in 983:

"Here must my frail body return to dust. After my death all this country will be devastated by the sword of the heathen and be abandoned to wild beasts. Nor will the land experience solid peace till my translation. But when I am taken home, I trust that, by the intercession of the apostle, the pagan ravages will cease."^[15]

References

Gregorovius, Ferdinand, The History of Rome in the Middle Ages, Vol. III (1895)
Mann, Horace K., The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages, Vol. IV: The Popes in the Days of Feudal Anarchy, 891-999 (1910)

Notes

^ Mann, p. 273-274
^ Mann, p. 274
^ Gregorovius, p. 352
^ David Warner, Ottonian Germany: the Chronicon of Thietmar of Merseburg, (Manchester University Press, 2001), 113.
^ Mann, pg. 275
^ Gregorovius, pg. 353
^ Gregorovius, pg. 354
^ Mann, pgs. 275-6
^ Mann, pg. 276
^ Philip Hughes, A History of the Church, (Sheed & Ward Ltd., 1978), 196.
^ Mann, pg. 277
^ Mann, pg. 278
^ Gregorovius, pg. 357
^ Mann, pgs. 278-9
^ Mann, pg. 279

External links

Media related to Pope Benedict V at Wikimedia Commons

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by John XII	Pope 964	Succeeded by Leo VIII

[1] Mann, p. 273-274

[2] Mann, p. 274

[3] Gregorovius, p. 352

[4] David Warner, Ottonian Germany: the Chronicon of Thietmar of Merseburg, (Manchester University Press, 2001), 113.

[5] Mann, pg. 275

[6] Gregorovius, pg. 353

[7] Gregorovius, pg. 354

[8] Mann, pgs. 275-6

[9] Mann, pg. 276

[10] Philip Hughes, A History of the Church, (Sheed & Ward Ltd., 1978), 196.

[11] Mann, pg. 277

[12] Mann, pg. 278

[13] Gregorovius, pg. 357

[14] Mann, pgs. 278-9

[15] Mann, pg. 279

[4]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[10]

[12]

[15]

v t e History of the Catholic Church
General	History of the Catholic Church By country or region Ecclesiastical history Timeline Papacy Papal primacy Catholic ecumenical councils First seven Catholic Bible Biblical canon Vulgate Crusading movement History of the Roman Curia Religious institutes Christian monasticism Catholic culture Art Role in civilization Vatican City Papal States Latin Church Eastern Catholic Churches
Apostolic Age (30–100)	Jesus Ministry Crucifixion Resurrection Great Commission Holy Spirit Mary John the Baptist Apostles in the New Testament Commissioning Peter John Paul Stephen Council of Jerusalem Split with Judaism New Testament Background Gospels Acts Pauline epistles General epistles Revelation
Ante-Nicene period (100–325)	Persecution Church Fathers Apostolic Fathers Pope Clement I Polycarp Ignatius Irenaeus Justin Martyr Canon Tertullian Origen

Authority control databases
International	FAST ISNI VIAF WorldCat
National	Germany Israel United States
People	Italian People Deutsche Biographie