Theophylact I (before 864 – 924/925) was a medievalcount of Tusculum who was the effective ruler ofRome from around 905 through to his death in 924. His descendants controlled thepapacy for the next 100 years.
The origins of Theophylact are unknown and debated. He might have been descended from Theophylact, who was the son ofPope John VIII'snomenclator Gregory. This Theophylact was initially aligned withPope Formosus, but later supported anti-Formosus leaders.[1]
Theophylact was the hereditary count ofTusculum, a small hill town near the vicinity of Rome. He is mentioned for the first time in a document of 901 aspalatine iudex (palace judge, or leader of the militia) of EmperorLouis the Blind. He remained in Rome, commanding a group of soldiers after the emperor's return toProvence in 902, and was prominent in the overthrow ofAntipope Christopher in January 904, whom he very likely ordered to be killed whilst in prison later that year. Theophylact formed an alliance withDukeAlberic I of Spoleto, and with their combined backing,Pope Sergius III was elected in Christopher's place.[2] During his pontificate, Theophylact became Sergius’sacri palatii vestararius andmagister militum, effectively seizing control of the city. He was also granted other honorific titles, such assenator,glorissimusdux, anddominus urbis.[3][4]
Sometime between the end of Sergius III's pontificate and the start ofJohn X's,[5] Theophylact was elected the head of Rome, under the centuries-old title ofRoman consul by the city's nobility. Like the ancient office, this consulship must have been for a year only, as in 915, he is referred to as a senator only, although first among the listed nobility.[6] In this capacity, Theophylact was able to dominate the papal electoral process, with all popes until his death in 925 chosen after he had hand-picked them.
Theophylact's rule of Rome was shared to a large degree with his wifeTheodora, who was styledsenatrix andserenissima vestaratrix of Rome. It was by her suggestion that the popes who followed Sergius III,Anastasius III andLando, were chosen by her husband for thepapal see. Then in 914, she prevailed upon him to support her alleged lover as pope, having him installed asJohn X (although it has been suggested that John was in fact related to either Theodora or Theophylact).[7] Theophylact worked closely with the able John X, who supported Theophylact's overall objectives with regards to strengthening the imperial presence in Italy by supportingBerengar I of Italy. He fought alongside John X against theSaracens at theBattle of Garigliano in 915, and was the pope's principal political support until his death in either 924 or 925.[8]
Theophylact had two daughters with Theodora:Marozia and Theodora. In the longer term, the heirs of Theophylact, theTusculani, were the rivals of theCrescentii in controlling Rome, and placed several popes on the Chair of St Peter. Their eventual heirs were theColonna family.
Theophylact's ally Alberic I married Marozia sometime near theBattle of Garigliano in 915. This marriage producedAlberic II of Spoleto, who ruled over Rome from 932 to 954.[9]Liutprand of Cremona, an opponent of Theophylact's family, claimed that Marozia had an affair withPope Sergius III and gave birth toPope John XI, but modern historians, such asPietro Fedele andLouis Duchesne, dismiss this claim as common gossip used in papal discussions.[10]
It is now believed[by whom?] that Theodora's influence over Theophylact was overstated by contemporary chroniclers such asLiutprand of Cremona, who wished to exaggerate the corruption of the Roman and papal court, as a counterpoint to rulers such asAlberic I of Spoleto, and the future emperorOtto I, whom Liutprand later served. The charges of adultery against Theodora, the use of the term "harlot", and the presumption that she was using her "feminine wiles" to prostitute herself in order to influence her husband and appoint numerous lovers to important posts were used to tarnish the rule of Theophylact and his successors. Later historians, influenced by the moral tone of this critique, described the influence of Theodora and her descendants over the papacy as the "pornocracy" or the "Rule of the Harlots". Modern historians[example needed] now instead use the termsaeculum obscurum to describe the period when the papacy was under the direct control of the Roman nobility, in particular when it was under the domination of the family of Theophylact.
| Theophylact I, Count of Tusculum 864–924 HOUSE OF THEOPHYLACT | Theodora senatrix | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hugh of Italy 887-948 (also married Marozia) | Alberic I of Spoleto d. 925 HOUSE OF TUSCULUM | Marozia 890–937 | Pope Sergius III 904–911 | Theodora elder | Gratian Consul | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alda of Vienne | Alberic II of Spoleto 905–954 | David orDeodatus | Pope John XI 931–935 | Giovanni Crescentius | Theodora younger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Octavian Pope John XII 955–964 | Pope Benedict VII 974-983 | Maria | Pope John XIII 965–972 | Crescentius the Elder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gregory I, Count of Tusculum | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Theophylact Pope Benedict VIII 1012–1024 | Alberic III, Count of Tusculum d. 1044 | Romanus Pope John XIX 1024–1032 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gregory II, Count of Tusculum | Peter, Duke of the Romans | Guy/Gaius Count of Tusculum | Octavian Count of Tusculum | Theophylact Pope Benedict IX 1032–1048 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gregory III, Count of Tusculum | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ptolemy I of Tusculum | Peter de Columna Colonna family | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
