Pope John XIV

Pope John XIV was Pope

Pope

The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...

 from December, 983 to August 20, 984, successor to Pope Benedict VII

Pope Benedict VII

Pope Benedict VII, born in Rome, the son of David or Deodatus , and previously Bishop of Sutri, died July 10, 983; belonged to the noble family of the Counts of Tusculum. He was elected by the Roman clergy and people under the influence of Sicco, imperial envoy of Emperor Otto II...

 (974–983)

He was born at Pavia

Pavia

Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It is the capital of the province of Pavia. It has a population of c. 71,000...

, and before his elevation to the papal chair was imperial chancellor of Emperor Otto II (973–983), and was the latter's second choice.

His original name was Pietro Canepanova, but he took the name John XIV to avoid being linked to St. Peter himself.

Otto II died shortly after his election; his heir, Otto III (983–1002), being only 3 years old. Antipope Boniface VII

Antipope Boniface VII

Antipope Boniface VII , was an antipope . He is supposed to have put Pope Benedict VI to death. A popular tumult compelled him to flee to Constantinople in 974; he carried off a vast treasure, and returned in 984 and removed Pope John XIV from office, who had been elected in his absence, by murder...

 (974, 984–985), on the strength of the popular feeling against the new Pope, returned from Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

 and placed John XIV in prison, in Castel Sant'Angelo

Castel Sant'Angelo

The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as the Castel Sant'Angelo, is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family...

, where he died either by starvation or poison.