READING

Antapodosis, Book 2, Chapter 48; Book 3, Chapters 43–46

by Liudprand of Cremona, translated by F. A. Wright

Liudprand of Cremona (ca. 920–972) belonged to an aristocratic family closely connected to King Hugh of Italy. Liudprand himself initially entered the service of Berengar of Ivrea (ca. 900–966), who had overthrown Hugh as king of Italy. His Antapodosis(meaning “Retribution,” written around 955) is primarily a denunciation of Berengar, with whom Liudprand had had a falling out, but also provides a narrative (albeit a skewed one) of the events and relationships in Italy in the mid–10th century. By the early 950s, Liudprand had entered the services of Otto I (912–973), king of the Germans, who intervened in Italian politics first in 955 and again in 962. Part of Liudprand’s goal was to justify Otto’s deposition of Pope John XII in 963 and his replacement with a member of the imperial entourage. Liudprand’s tactic was to defame John’s family in addition to John himself, beginning with John’s mother, Marozia, whom he portrayed as a harlot and murderess. Although virtually everything Liudprand reports about her is untrue or dubious, he created one of the most scandalous personages in medieval historical literature.

Book 2, Chapter 48

A certain shameless strumpet called Theodora, grandmother of the Alberic who recently passed from this life, at one time was sole monarch of Rome and — shame upon us even to say the words! — exercised power in the most manly fashion. She had two daughters, Marotia and Theodora, and these damsels were not only her equals but could even surpass her in the exercises that Venus loves. Marotia, as the result of shameful adultery, became the mother by Pope Sergius, whom we have mentioned above, of the John who after the death of John of Ravenna won his way to the papacy; by the marquess Alberic she had another son, the Alberic who in our days made himself prince of Rome.

          Now the see of Ravenna, an archbishopric held only second in importance to the papacy of Rome, was then in Peter’s hands. John, who afterwards became Pope, was one of his church clergy and was frequently sent by him to Rome with official messages of due respect to his apostolic superior. Theodora, who, as I have declared, was a quite shameless harlot, saw the young man, and at once was all on fire with lust to possess him. So inflamed was she by his handsome person that not only did she offer herself to him as his mistress, but forced him to comply with her desires again and again. While this shamelessness was going on, the Bishop of Bologna died and John was elected in his place. Just before the day of his consecration Peter the Archbishop of Ravenna passed away, and at Theodora’s instigation John abandoned his see at Bologna and filled with vaunting ambition broke all the laws of the holy Fathers and claimed the Archbishopric as his own. He therefore came to Rome and soon afterwards was ordained Bishop of Ravenna. Then a little time elapsed and God summoned the Pope who had illegally ordained him. Thereupon Theodora, with a harlot’s wanton naughtiness, fearing that she would have few opportunities of going to bed with her sweetling if he were separated from her by the two hundred miles that lie between Ravenna and Rome, forced him to abandon his archbishopric at Ravenna, and take for himself — O monstrous crime! — the papacy of Rome. This was the man then, and this was the way in which he became Vicar of the holy apostles, when the Africans, as I began by saying, were wreaking such cruel havoc on Benevento and the cities near Rome.

Book 3, Chapters 43-46

Meanwhile Wido, marquess of the province of Tuscany, together with his wife Marozia, began to plot vigorously to secure the expulsion of Pope John. This he did owing to the ill feeling that he bore to the Pope’s brother Peter; for as for the Pope himself he honoured him as though he had been his own brother. So it happened that while Peter was staying at Rome Wido had a large number of soldiers secretly assembled there. One day, when the Pope and his brother and a few friends were in the Lateran Palace, Wido’s and Marozia’s men rushed in upon them and killed Peter before his brother’s eyes. They then arrested the Pope and put him into prison, where soon afterwards he died. It is said that they put a pillow over his mouth, and cruelly suffocated him. On his death they appointed as Pope Marozia’s own son John, whom the harlot had had by Pope Sergius. Not long after these events Wido died, and his brother Lambert was appointed to his offices.

Marozia, who was a fairly shameless harlot, after the death of her husband Wido sent envoys to King Hugh, inviting him to come to her and take the famous city of Rome for himself. But this, she declared, could only be done if Hugh married her.

Why, why, Marozia, yield to Love’s fierce fire?

Why kisses from your husband’s kin desire?

Like proud Herodias would you know the bed

Of brothers twain and by them both be led

In wedlock home? Methinks you have forgot

The words of John the Baptist — “Marry not

Your brother’s wife, and put her from you now.”

The laws of Moses do not this allow.

Marriage with brothers they permit indeed,

But only when ’tis done to raise up seed

For one who had no children ere he died;

And all men know you as a fruitful bride

Who to your lord bore offspring. You will say —

“Our lady Venus drunken with love’s play

Cares not for things like these.” ’Tis all too true;

And like an ox to sacrifice King Hugh

Came at your summons, hoping to obtain

Rome for himself and as her lord remain.

O wicked wench, why seek you thus to bring

Ruin and trouble on a righteous king?

Shall crime make you a queen? Nay, God’s decree

Ordains that you from Rome shall driven be.

          That this is correct all created things, rational and irrational alike, can now perceive.

          At the entrance to the city of Rome there is a fort, wonderfully constructed and wonderfully strong. At its gates is the most important of all the bridges over the Tiber, which every one must cross in entering or leaving Rome, there being no other way out. But passage is only possible by leave of those who hold the fort. The fort itself, to omit further details, is so high that the church upon its summit, built in honour of the glorious archangel Michael, chief of the heavenly host, as called “the church of the holy angel in the skies.” Relying on the strength of this fort the king left his troops at some distance and came to Rome with only a few attendants. There he was received with all respect by the Romans, but he turned aside from them to the bed of the harlot Marozia in the aforesaid castle, and at his ease in her impure embrace began to regard the citizens with scorn. Now Marozia had a son named Alberic, whom she had borne to the marquess Alberic. One day, when this youth was pouring out water at his mother’s bidding for his stepfather Hugh to wash his hands, the king hit him in the face as a chastisement for not pouring the water in a modest and respectful fashion. Alberic determined to avenge this insult, and getting the Romans together addressed to them the following harangue: — “The majesty of Rome has sunk to such depths of folly that now she obeys the orders of harlots. Could there be anything viler or more disgraceful than that the city of Rome should be brought to ruin by the impurities of one woman, and that those who were once our slaves, the Burgundians I mean, should now be our masters? If he hit me, his stepson, in the face when he had but just come here as our guest, what do you suppose he will do to you when he has taken root in the city? Are you ignorant of the Burgundians’ greed and pride? Consider the very derivation of their name. When the Romans conquered the world they took many of these people captive and bade them build themselves houses outside Rome; from which houses they were soon afterwards forced to expel them as a punishment for their insolence. We are told, therefore, that as in their language a gathering of houses not protected by a wall is called a burgh, these folk were named by the Romans ‘Burgundians,’ that is, people expelled from their burgh. If we prefer the name that nature gave them, they are Gauls of the Allobroges tribe. But I would rather trust my own sagacité, that is, intelligence; and I say that ‘Burgundian’ is another form of ‘Gurgulian,’ and that they are so called either from their arrogant and guttural speech, or, more probably, from the way in which they use their gullets to indulge their greed.” As soon as they heard this, all the Romans without hesitation deserted King Hugh and elected Alberic as their liege lord. Then, to prevent Hugh having any time to bring in his soldiers, they began at once to besiege the fort.

          It is plain that all this was part of God’s dispensation and that it was His will that Hugh should not under any circumstances hold what he had attempted to win so foully by crime. The king, indeed, was so alarmed that he let himself down by a rope on the side where the fort touched the city wall, and deserting his lady made his escape back to his own men. King Hugh and the aforesaid Marozia being thus expelled, Alberic became sole ruler of Rome, while his brother John ascended the papal throne, the supreme and universal.

From: Liudprand of Cremona. "Antapodosis." The Works of Liudprand of Cremona. F.A. Wright, trans. London: George Routledge, 1930. Book 2, Chapter 48; Book 3, Chaps. 43-46.