10 Worst Popes Of All Time

Welcome to WatchMojo, where well be looking at historys least pious popes ever.

Julius II (1503-13)

Also known as the Warrior Pope, Julius II ruled the Papal States from 1503 to 1513. As an artistic patron, he was incredibly successful. This included him commissioning Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel, among other magnificent projects, which all cost a fortune. He was also responsible for aggressive military campaigns, personally leading troops into battle, which was highly contentious for a pope. His rule was more focused on politics and war, instead of piety. Julius actions thus deepened Europes religious crisis, which led to Martin Luthers revolt and the Protestant Reformation. So while he was a highly influential Renaissance figure, he wasnt exactly a good pope.

Clement VII (1523-34)

10 years after Julius IIs death, Clement VII became the Papal States ruler. Hes often considered historys most unfortunate pope, ruling at a particularly tumultuous time. He inherited the Papal States while the Protestant Reformation was picking up steam, which led to an immense power struggle. Both France and the Holy Roman Empire demanded his allegiance, which led to the Sack of Rome in 1527. Another major blunder included largely ignoring the Protestant Reformation. This spiralled further out of control when he refused to let Henry VIII divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon. As a result, the Tudor king broke away from the Catholic Church.

Boniface VIII (1294-1303)

Despite being fairly intelligent, his papacy was controversial and immensely disastrous. One of his biggest blunders was the Unam sanctam in 1302, which proclaimed it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff. This outraged almost everyone. Boniface took papal authority to the max, becoming obsessed with papal supremacy. This got him into a couple of conflicts with France, with Boniface excommunicating their King, Philip IV. This caused the French to capture him in 1303. They locked him up for 3 days, alongside assaulting him. A month later, Boniface died a humiliated and broken man.

John XII (955-64)

When John became Pope, he may have been the youngest pope in history. Historians estimate he was between 17 and 25 at the beginning of his rule. He mainly got the job because of his father, Alberic II of Spoleto, a Roman prince. As Pope, he turned the Lateran Palace into what his contemporaries described as a brothel. Allegedly, he frequently committed adultery and debauchery. According to one source, he died while fornicating with another mans wife. To protect against the Lombards, he made King Otto I of Germany the Holy Roman Emperor. John quickly betrayed him, causing Otto to march on Rome and depose him - although he regained his position temporarily.

Sergius III (904-11)

Next, we have one of historys most corrupt popes. He ascended to the papal throne after being backed by the Theophylact family, who dominated Rome during the 10th century. Sources claim he imprisoned and then murdered two ex-popes. Alongside this, he also supposedly fathered a child out of wedlock, highly controversial for a pope. This child went on to become a pope himself. One of his most bizarre decisions was re-endorsing Stephen VI, who had gone so far as to put the corpse of Pope Formosus on trial. On the bright side, he rebuilt the Lateran Palace, which had been destroyed by an earthquake.

Urban VI (1378-89)

The Western Schism was a huge split among Catholics in the late 14th century. It centered around two rival popes, one in Avignon and another in Rome, both vying for supremacy. This started when Urban was elected, under intense political pressure. A Roman contingent had demanded a Roman pope, but instead they got the Napolitan Urban. As a pope, he was harsh and paranoid, which alienated his allies. This caused his Cardinals to quickly declare his election invalid, thus creating the Schism and a series of rival popes. At one point, Urban even had some cardinals executed. Instead of fixing the schism, Urban doubled down, making matters worse. In the end, he died after injuries received from falling off a mule at his jubilee celebrations.

Leo X (1513-21)

As weve already established, the early 16th century was a bit of a write-off for Catholicism. Born to the prominent Medici family, Leo X used this reputation to become pope. As such, he governed the Church like a Renaissance prince, instead of as its spiritual leader. This led to him authorizing tons of indulgences, which were payments in exchange for the forgiveness of sins. This directly led to Martin Luthers 95 Theses in 1517, alongside the subsequent Protestant Reformation. Instead of addressing papal corruption, he excommunicated Luther, thus providing more fuel to the opposition. So while he wasnt necessarily cruel, his negligence led to an enormous divide, and to multiple wars in the following centuries.

Benedict IX (1032-44; 1045; 1047-48)

Only one person has been Pope more than once, and thats Benedict IX. The first time over, it was done because of his dad bribing the voters. His age isnt confirmed, but historians guess he could have been 20 when elected. He was forced out in 1044 but regained the papacy in 1045. Controversially, later in 1045, he sold the papacy to his godfather, John Gratian. This was because Benedict wanted to marry his cousin. Soon after, he regretted this choice. When his godfathers successor died in 1047, Benedict installed himself as pope by force. This didnt last long. German soldiers drove him out a few months later, and he vanished into obscurity.

Alexander VI (1492-1503)

Also known as Rodrigo Borgia, this pope was extremely infamous. He used the papacy to empower his family, the Borgias, who sought to dominate Italy. He gave his relatives powerful positions, making the Church feel like a private family business. Alexander became pope through bribery, and then became increasingly corrupt during his reign. He sold titles to whoever bid the most, alongside encouraging his son to conquer Italy. At age 72, he died of what was claimed to be malaria. Alexander left behind a legacy that few admired, becoming a symbol of everything wrong with the late medieval church.

Stephen VI (896-97)

After being dead for seven months, Pope Formosus was put on trial by the newly elected Pope Stephen VI. The rotting corpse was placed on a throne, then assigned a deacon to speak on his behalf. Stephen sought to discredit Formosus legacy by this bizarre spectacle. The result wasnt a shocker; the dead Pope was found guilty, being unable to defend himself. This caused his papacy to be rendered null, which understandably horrified tons of people. This caused him to lose his position after less than two years. Stephen was sent to prison where he was eventually strangled.

Who do you think was the most respectable pope in history? Let us know in the comments section!