Pope John XIV

John XIV was born as Peter Canepanova in Pavia.[1] When Pope Benedict VII died on 10 July 983, Emperor Otto II (r. 973–983) wished to enthrone Maiolus of Cluny, a renowned Burgundian abbot, as the new bishop of Rome, but Maiolus refused the office.[2][1] As a second option, the Emperor selected Canepanova, who was by then the bishop of Pavia and had previously served as Otto's archchancellor in Italy.[1] Negotiations with Canepanova stalled until December, at which point he accepted the papal throne.

Upon his accession, Canepanova decided to adopt a new papal name — John – to avoid association with Saint Peter.[2][3] The appointment of John XIV occurred without the consultation of the clergy or the people of Rome,[4] and there is no evidence that a formal election ever took place.[2][1] As such, John relied solely upon the Emperor's support.[5] The only extant document from John's pontificate is a bull that granted a pallium to Alo, the archbishop of Benevento; the action is indicative of Otto's political interests in southern Italy.[2]

Soon after John's installation, the Emperor fell ill with malaria and died on 7 December 983 in the Pope's arms after John performed the rites of absolution.[5] His widow, the Empress Theophanu, immediately left Rome to travel to Germany to protect the interests of her infant son Otto III (r. 980–1002), leaving John isolated in the city without allies.[5] Upon the return of Antipope Boniface VII from Constantinople in April 984 and his installation as pope by the influential Crescentii family, John was assaulted, deposed, and confined at Castel Sant'Angelo.[5] Information regarding the charges laid against John do not survive, nor do any details surrounding his trial.[5] John died four months after his imprisonment, either of starvation or poisoning.[6] The historian Hans-Henning Kortüm wrote that, "Because of the brevity and weakness of his reign, very few documents bear his name".[4] John was buried in Old St. Peter's Basilica;[2] his tomb was destroyed in the seventeenth century during the Basilica's demolition.[7] His epitaph there, erected under the pontificate of Antipope Boniface VII, records John's death date as 20 August 984, but does not state a cause of death.[5] Because Antipope Boniface VII was only considered an antipope in the 20th-century, Pope John XV was considered to be the successor of Antipope Boniface VII and not John XIV.[8]

• Kelly, J. N. D.; Walsh, M. J. (1988) [1986]. Oxford Dictionary of Popes. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780192820853.
• Levillain, Philippe, ed. (2002). The Papacy: an Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York City: Routledge. ISBN 0415922283.
• McBrien, Richard P. (2000). Lives of the Popes. New York, NY: HarperCollins. ISBN 9780060653040.
• Reardon, Wendy J. (2004). The Deaths of the Popes. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co. ISBN 0786415274.