Pope Benedict IX

This profile of Pope Benedict IX is part of
Who's Who in Medieval History
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Teofilatto Tusculani; in Latin, Theophylactus. Sometimes the name has been represented as Theophylact or Theophytlact.

This can be a little confusing. Benedict IX's uncle, Pope Benedict VIII, was also born Teofilatto Tusculani.

Selling the papacy. When he voluntarily resigned, he accepted payment from his successor. He was also notorious for behaving badly, and he took the papal chair three separate times.

Born: c. 1012
Placed on the papal throne: October, 1032
Driven from Rome: 1044
Returned to Rome: April, 1045
Voluntarily resigned: May, 1045
Returned to Rome again: 1046
Officially deposed: December, 1046
Siezed the papal chair for the third time: November 8, 1047
Removed from Rome for the last time: July 17, 1048
Died: 1055 or 1056

Placed on the papal chair by his father when he was only about 20 years old, Benedict was never suited for a life in the clergy. His debauchery led to a revolt in Rome, and he fled the city; when he returned, he decided to resign, and did so after accepting a hefty sum from the man who replaced him. But he came back after only a year to try to take the papacy again. Deposed in absentia by a synod, he still managed to take the papal chair for a third time. He was removed from office for good and all in the summer of 1048.

Benedict's ultimate fate is unknown, though he is believed to have entered a monastery before his death in 1055 or 1056.

For more about Benedict IX, see the Concise Biography of Benedict IX.

Concise Biography of Benedict IX
Popes Benedict
Popes Who Resigned

Pope Benedict IX on the Web

Catholic Encyclopedia: Pope Benedict IX
Clear overview by Horace Mann.

Pope Benedict IX in Print

The links below will take you to a site where you can compare prices at booksellers across the web. More in-depth info about the book may be found by clicking on to the book's page at one of the online merchants.

Lives of the Popes: The Pontiffs from St. Peter to John Paul II
by Richard P. McBrien

Chronicle of the Popes: The Reign-by-Reign Record of the Papacy over 2000 Years
by P. G. Maxwell-Stuart

The Papacy
Chronological List of Popes
Medieval Italy



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