Boniface VII

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974 to 974
 Antipope


Francone Ferruci
in Rome
985.07.20

Biography:

A Roman.

In June 974, Crescentius, the son of Theodora and brother of Pope John XIII (965-972), threw Pope Benedict VI (973-974) into the Castle of Saint' Angelo, where Crescentius later had him strangled. Crescentius then had Antipope Boniface VII (974) appointed as Pope. A month later, Count Sicco took over the the city, forcing Boniface VII to flee to Constantinople, first stealing a large sum of money from the Vatican treasury. After the death of Otto II in 983.12.07, Boniface VII returned to Rome in 984.04, where he overpowered Pope John XIV (983-984), and threw him into the dungeons of Saint'Angelo, where he died 4 months later.

Pope Boniface VII then ruled as Pope in 984-985, as a murderous tyrant. The Bishop of Orleans referred to him as the "Antichrist, sitting in the temple of God, and shews himself as God." From The Catholic Encyclopedia:
"For more than a year Rome endured this monster steeped in the blood of his predecessors. But the vengeance was terrible. After his sudden death in July, 985, due in all probability to violence, the body of Boniface was exposed to the insults of the populace, dragged through the streets of the city, and finally, naked and covered with wounds, flung under the statue of Marcus Aurelius... The following morning compassionate clerics removed the corpse and gave it a Christian burial." - The Catholic Encyclopedia


Rulers & Events:

954-986: King of West Francia, Lothair

969-976: Eastern Roman Emperor, John I Tzimisces

973-983: King of Germany, Otto II

973-983: Holy Roman Emperor, Otto II

973:     Antipope Donus II

973-974: Pope Benedict VI

974-983: Pope Benedict VII