Antipope John XVI facts for kids

John XVI (born around 945, died around 1001) was a religious leader who was considered an antipope from 997 to 998. An antipope is someone who claims to be the Pope but is not officially recognized by the main Church. His birth name was Ioannis Philagathos.

Early Life and Career

John was of Greek background. He was born in Rossano, a town in Calabria, which is in southern Italy. At that time, this part of Italy was controlled by the Byzantine Empire.

John became a chaplain (a priest who serves a royal family) for Empress Theophanu. She was Greek and the wife of Holy Roman Emperor Otto II. John also worked as a top official, called an Imperial chancellor, for Otto II in Italy from 980 to 982. After this, he became the leader (Abbot) of the Nonantola Monastery.

He was also the godfather to Otto II and Theophanu's son, who later became Emperor Otto III. John even taught Otto III when he was seven years old in 987. Empress Theophanu helped John become the Bishop of Piacenza. He was sent to Constantinople (a major city in the Byzantine Empire) to bring a Byzantine princess back for the young Otto to marry.

Becoming an Antipope

After Emperor Otto II died, his young son Otto III became emperor. In 996, Otto III went to help Pope John XV. The Pope was dealing with a rebellion led by a powerful Roman nobleman named Crescentius the Younger.

Otto III stopped in Pavia to be crowned King of Lombardy. But before he could reach Rome, Pope John XV died. Once in Rome, Otto III helped his cousin, Bruno of Carinthia, become the new Pope, Pope Gregory V. Gregory V then crowned Otto III as emperor on May 21, 996.

After Otto III went back to Germany, Crescentius II and his supporters forced Pope Gregory V out of Rome. With help from the Byzantine Emperor Basil II, they chose John to be the new Pope, calling him John XVI. However, a meeting of Western bishops in Pavia in 997 decided that Gregory V was the true Pope. They officially removed John from his position, a process called excommunication.

Downfall and Later Life

Emperor Otto III returned to Rome in February 998 to stop Crescentius II's uprising. John XVI tried to escape, but the Emperor's soldiers caught him. He was severely punished and publicly shamed.

He was forced to ride through the streets of Rome sitting backward on a donkey. A religious leader named Saint Nilus the Younger, who was also Greek, asked for John's life to be spared. John was then sent to a monastery in Fulda, Germany, where he died around 1001.

John's decision to become Pope against Gregory V shows the ongoing power struggles in Rome. Roman nobles often fought against the influence of the Frankish (German) emperors. John's rise also showed the Byzantine Empire's desire to have more power in Rome, especially since Gregory V was the first German Pope.

See also

In Spanish: Juan XVI (antipapa) para niños

• Papal selection before 1059