The Bad Popes

The Bad Popes is a 1969 book by E. R. Chamberlin documenting the lives of eight of the most controversial popes (papal years in parentheses):

Pope Stephen VI (896–897), who exhumed and tried his dead predecessor Pope Formosus.^[1]^{: 19}
Pope John XII (955–964), who murdered several people.
Pope Benedict IX (1032–1044, 1045, 1047–1048), who was accused of selling the Papacy.
Pope Boniface VIII (1294–1303), who regularly interfered in the politics of neighboring kingdoms.
Pope Urban VI (1378–1389), who tortured cardinals who had conspired against him.^[1]^{: 153}
Pope Alexander VI (1492–1503), who, besides being openly promiscuous, was found guilty of nepotism.^[1]^{: 204}
Pope Leo X (1513–1521), who once spent 1⁄7 of the Papal reserves on a single ceremony, leading Martin Luther to publish the 95 Theses and spark the Protestant Reformation.^[1]^{: 218}
Pope Clement VII (1523–1534), whose power-politicking led to the Sack of Rome.

Reviews

Milligan, Sam (August 24, 1969). "'Bad Popes' and Era Examined by Writer". Fort Worth Star-Telegram – via newspapers.com.
Rogers, W. G. (August 31, 1969). "Consumed by Greed, the Princes Wage War and Shear the Sheep". The Grand Rapids Press – via newspapers.com.
Cargill Thompson, James (August 31, 1969). "People get the popes they deserve". Chicago Tribune – via newspapers.com.
Cox, Bud (September 1, 1969). "Popes of Another Day". The Charlotte News – via newspapers.com.
Johnson, Norman (September 7, 1969). "Seven Popes Linked by Church Crises". The Courier-Journal – via newspapers.com.
Kirsch, Robert (September 19, 1969). "Balanced, Detached View of the Seven 'Bad' Popes". The Los Angeles Times – via newspapers.com.
Hoyt, William D. (September 23, 1969). "Incredible years of 3 rival popes". The Boston Globe – via newspapers.com.
Goedhart, Bernie (October 17, 1969). "Papal fallibility with a vengeance". Edmonton Journal – via newspapers.com.
O'Brien, John A. (November 2, 1969). "(Books)". The South Bend Tribune – via newspapers.com.
Tucker, William J. Jr. (November 4, 1969). "(Books)". St. Louis Post-Dispatch – via newspapers.com.
Di Camillo, Kevin (November 26, 2019). "How Bad Were 'the Bad Popes?'". National Catholic Register.
"The bad popes". Kirkus Reviews. June 1, 1969. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
Kronenberger, Louis (July 1969). "The Bad Popes". The Atlantic. Retrieved July 13, 2025.