The process by which popes are elected won’t be rehashed here, but suffice it to say that it’s considerably more above-board than it was in the 10th century. As History of Yesterday notes, in those days, the appointments of popes had more to do with whichever wealthy Italian family wielded the most power at the time, and by 955, that meant that an 18-year-old man named Octavius got the job and took the name John XII.

The teenage pope had little interest in matters of church and considerable interest in gambling, drinking, and sex — sex with prostitutes, sex with married women, sex with unmarried women, possibly even sex with unwilling women who made the mistake of being in Rome at the wrong time. He made no attempt to hide it, either, even turning the Lateran Palace into his own personal brothel, appointing mistresses to high-ranking positions and funding it all with money from Rome’s coffers.

By 962, John’s indiscretions were starting to get noticed, and he fled town. He managed to fend off an attempt to get him to answer for his crimes — a chapter in history that included brutal retribution against his enemies. However, by 964, his lifestyle caught up to him, and he died under mysterious circumstances.