Sex Lives of the Popes

by Nigel Cawthorne

Prion’s internationally bestselling Sex Lives series presents lighthearted accounts of the sexual escapades of major figures in history, politics, religion, the arts, and film. Irreverent and gossipy, the books are packed with carnal tidbits and eye-opening revelations. In the last 2,000 years the Popes have set the sexual agenda for almost a quarter of the world's population. But while preaching chastity from on high many have practised something altogether more dissolute. The Pope was the most powerful man on earth, and there was no one who could tell him he could not sleep with whoever he wanted. There was a female Pope too, which only became apparent when she gave birth in the street. Added to that there have been pornographers, homosexuals, pedophiles, womanizers, perverts, and good old-fashioned adulterers who have occupied the Holy See. Sex Lives of the Popes is a humorous expose of papal promiscuity.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Sexuality, Religion, Medieval History

270 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Nigel Cawthorne is an Anglo-American writer of fiction and non-fiction, and an editor. He has written more than 80 books on a wide range of subjects and has contributed to The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph Daily Mail and The New York Times. He has appeared on television and BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Many of Nigel Cawthorne's books are compilations of popular history, without footnotes, references or bibliographies. His own web site refers to a description of his home as a "book-writing factory" and says, "More than half my books were commissioned by publishers and packagers for a flat fee or for a for a reduced royalty".

One of his most notable works was Taking Back My Name, an autobiography of Ike Turner, with whom he spent a number of weeks working with him on, taking up residence in Turner's house. The book caused much controversy, resulting in court cases for three years following its release.

Cawthorne currently lives in Bloomsbury, London with his girlfriend and son, Colin (born 1982).

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book flows to the point where you become lost in the disgusting yet repetative behavior of the popes for the first 200 or so pages and then literally cuts off the history at 1600 AD. The next 200 years are covered in about 12 pages and then it skips to a small mention of the 20th century before abruptly ending. Full of graphic and disturbing information. No citation whatsoever. I have no doubt that all of it is true as I have read plenty to support the statements but I still get bothered by books that lack citations.

[Fostergrants · Rating 3 out of 5]

the sheer volume of escapades starts piling up in your head as you read about pope after pope after pope and his nasty little habits. (a nun joke there haha) after a while the pile starts to smell bad and your stomach turns to nausea.

if this book were written in a serious history book fashion it would be unreadable. the levity of voice is the only thing that makes the information digestible. this is hundreds of years worth of incest, murder, bestiality, orgies, concubines, kidnapping, false imprisonment, torture, sodomy, pedastery, taking child brides, turning church buildings into brothels, poisoning, female popes giving birth on the backs of horses, (which led to the design of a special seatless chair called "sedes stercoraria" through which a pope could be tested for the existence of balls) allowing children to become popes, selling positions in the church for money, and selling dispensations - one of which allowed richard 2 of england to marry a 7 year old girl. some were so debauched that their living quarters had been sealed for three hundred years until the nineteenth century. i just can't go on.

the book, however, does go on. there is a lot here and it gets very repetitive but that isn't really the author's fault. the popes kept taking the same names and you just get really overwhelmed by the sheer load. and their mischiefs are so similar that you soon forget who slept with their father and who raped the little boy. at a point halfway thru i went completely numb...again not the author's fault.

i will give the author much credit for absolutely NOT taking a morally judgmental tone. he keeps his voice neutral enough that you're just getting info and aren't being swayed to his morality either way. it's even funny at times if you can forget all those current lawsuits and the children....i can't imagine writing this book and having to restrain myself from saying something really pissy about the fact that all of this happened at the same time the church's inquisitors were out burning people alive for eating meat during lent or being jewish or female. it also punished clergy who had wives deeming them worse offenders than the ones who kept whores or boys. wives and daughters were killed or taken as concubines. women were bad and there was no way to win against the whims of a pope. just writing this review is making me pissy so hats off to author for keeping his cool.

i will admit there were moments when i believed the tone to be too casual...as in 'i may want to double check this fact with another source' but at a certain point that little drop of water in the huge ocean of debauchery didn't matter.

[Doug · Rating 1 out of 5]

Extremely poorly written with lots of misprints (della Rovere and, incorrectly, de la Rovere for the family name of Julius II in the same paragraph! half sentences randomly repeated). No historical analysis whatsoever. Conflation of the crisis of celibacy and salacious details about Renaissance popes that fails to distinguish propaganda from fact. No analysis of the place of the celibacy problem in sparking the Reformation. Stupid puerile jokes (after John Paul I, John Paul II should have been Pope George Ringo). Repetitive list from medieval chronicles until one gets to the first Borgia pope, Alexander VI. Incidentally, I'm not a conservative Catholic. Don't waste your time or money.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not exactly Shakespeare, but was an interesting read nonetheless. While I certainly don't doubt the "shortcomings" of those who held the papacy, especially through the Medieval and Renaissance periods, there was very little in the way of citations or references to the source material, which should be a warning flag to readers.

Assuming that there is some factual basis to the allegations, this book should be terrifying to Catholics who look to the Pope as (1) infallible and (2) their spiritual leader.

[Francesca Maggi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I get a big kick out of all the gossip filling the pages of Cawthorne's books. Living in Rome, this one particularly tickled my fancy. Although his "reports" are gleaned from past accounts, he ignores the fact that much of the accounts at the time were coming from the equivalent of News of the World or Fox News, with posts penned by people who favored or deplored one Pope or another...Nonetheless, I love getting the dirt dished on Rome's lofty political who's who.

[Jeremy · Rating 2 out of 5]

My reaction: Wow. So there were three good popes in the history of the Catholic church?

Great concept and an eye-catching title. But that's about it. The execution was sub-par and at points a little (read: extremely) dry. But entertaining nonetheless.

I also get the idea that the author thought his concept was an expose that would shock the world. In fact, the New York Times calls it an "irreverent expose", as reproduced on the front cover. Like nobody could have possibly conceived that popes were misbehaving all that time. Really? Is this shocking to anybody? It's not an expose if it's common knowledge. Read Dante and count the number of prelates and popes he puts in hell. Unchecked power + a rampant culture of corruption + tons of money - oversight - humility - the will to seek God = clerical misbehavior

But still...if you want some light historical reading there are some interesting bits. Not so much about popes screwing around. That gets old. It's much more interesting to see how the popes influenced European history (and how the European leaders interacted with the church).

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, despite sometimes taking long breaks between chapters. It's dry in the beginning, mostly because historical records from that period are scant. Like most things it really picks up around the Renaissance, tho the continuous, enduring thread of incest was really interesting to read about. The book had its ups and downs but I'm glad I read it.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A "SCANDALOUS" TELLING OF THE MOST OUTRAGEOUS POPES IN HISTORY

Nigel Cawthorne (born 1951) is an American writer of many books such as 'Sex Lives of the Roman Emperors,' 'Sordid Sex Lives,' 'Sex Lives of the Great Composers,' 'Sex Lives of the Rich and Famous,' etc.

He wrote in the Introduction to this 1996 book, "Evan in an age when priestly misdemeanors regularly hit the headlines, it would be hard to imagine Pope John Paul II being ministered to by a mother superior, while the college of cardinals looked on. However, such a spectacle would not be without historic precedent. Plenty of previous popes have got up to all kinds of mischief. Many have been married. More, while making a show of celibacy, had installed their mistresses in the Vatican and promoted their illegitimate sons... to high office. There have been gay popes who have made their catamites cardinals. There have been grossly promiscuous popes of both persuasions. Orgies were not unknown in the papal palaces. One pope ran a brother out of the Lateran Palace." (Pg. 1)

He adds, "The Catholic Church has gone to great lengths to hush this sort of thing up... With the wealth, power and position the papacy brought, it is not really surprising that popes regularly found a balm to the cares of the world in the arms of their lovers..." (Pg. 2) He further adds, "The history of the Christian Church... is not nearly as staid as it makes out. The popes particularly have been debauched. So do not be too surprised if you wake up one morning to the headline... 'Pope in love-child shock!'" (Pg. 4)

He points out, "Pope Stephen VI (896-97) ... had the body of his predecessor ... dug up, dressed in papal vestments, set on a throne and tried for perjury and coveting the papacy. The first of a new series of women pope-makers was responsible for this outrage. Her name was Agiltruda... He was ... replaced by Boniface VI (896). Boniface was hardly an ideal candidate for Pope as he had been defrocked twice for immorality... He lasted just fifteen days..." (Pg. 61-62)

Agritruda "imposed Pope Romanus (897) on the Church. After four months, she grew tired of him and installed Pope Theodore (897) instead... And so it went on... there had been eight popes in as many years... the papacy during the tenth century became a synonym for shameless abuse and corruption. The period became known as the papal pornocracy---because the papacy as run by what were considered by much of Christendom as a couple of wh__s. These were a mother and daughter combination, Theodora and Marozia, who were the mistresses of the popes." (Pg. 63)

He continues, "In the sexual department, John XII (955-64) was not a lot better than his grandmother Marozia... John was an insatiable bisexual and gathered about him the loosest young nobles of either sex. He was accused of running a brother out of St. Peter's. He used the papal treasury to pay off his gambling debts... The sacred palace of the Lateran was said to have been turned into a harem... Citizens of Rome complained that the female pilgrims who formerly crowded the holy places were deterred by 'his promiscuous and unbridled lust.' These hapless pilgrims were abducted by John because he 'liked to have a collection of women.'" (Pg. 72-73) He adds, "He was caught in bed by the husband of one of his mistresses in 'the very act of adultery.' The enraged husband stabbed him... He was just twenty-four." (Pg. 75)

Of Clement VI (1342-52), he says, "Everyone agrees that the charges brought by contemporaries about his sexual immorality cannot be explained away. Petrarch particularly attributed the most lascivious remarks to the Pope which leave no doubt about Clement's illicit love affairs and about to an overwhelming indictment of the morals of Clement VI." (Pg. 129)

Sixtus IV (1471-84) "was bisexual and very probably engaged in incest... Sodomy, [prostitution] and ill-advised acts of violence did not take up all the Pope's time. Sixtus also found a moment to sanctify the erotic and blasphemous vision of a monk named Alano de Rupe." (Pg. 160-161)

He adds, "Unlike most other popes, Innocent VIII [1484-92] openly acknowledged his illegitimate children at court. He baptized them, officiated at their weddings and found suitable jobs for them." (Pg. 164) Julius II (1503-13) "was the father of a family and a hard-drinking, hard-swearing, swashbuckling pederast... he had many mistresses... It is said that with Julius, religion was not even a hobby... Contemporary authors said he was a 'great sodomite.'" (Pg. 222-223)

This book would be vastly improved if Cawthorne had provided FOOTNOTES for the sources of his claims; nevertheless, few readers of this book will be inclined to question him on scholarly grounds; as with his other "Sex Lives of..." books, the point is providing entertaining tales of scandalous behavior---and in that, Cawthorne succeeds magnificently.

[Rob Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

That the Popes were not always what they should have been was no surprise, but the complete corruption of the Catholic Church through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the reformation into a new light for me. I often wondered why so many people during the middle ages joined the church and were celebrant. Turns out they weren’t for the most part. This book is an eye opener and adds context to European history.

[Larissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Muito bom e muito absurdo. Jamais imaginaria que era TÃO ruim (embora a gente saiba que era bem ruim). Um beijo pra igreja católica e que Deus a tenha 🙏🏼. 3 estrelas porque tem muitos "aparentemente", o que não é legal e carrega de viés pessoal uma informação que talvez não seja verdadeira. Tira a confiabilidade. Mas bom pra quem gosta de ler sobre a história do catolicismo. Curioso também como desde sempre os judeus só se ferram. Coitados.

[Mick Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains many anecdotes about pope's in history some just glanced over others like the Borgia's gets a whole chapter rather bland reading in places,and runs out if steam towards the end signifing that all is well at the Vatican now.i think there is much more to these stories in the past and now.

[Peter Kiss · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nigel's writing is uninteresting and its blatantly obvious that he knows very little about the Bible. The book was overall not very engaging or productive to read, but it goes to show that the foundation of the Roman church has been sour for centuries upon centuries.

[ASusana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro interesante que podría haber sido muy bueno pero tiene más la intención de impactar que de dar información fidedigna y comprobable. Sin embargo una lectura divertida y con la misma profundidad que los chismorreos en una reunión.

[Donaldo Dagnone · Rating 3 out of 5]

O Poder corrompe. O Poder atrai corruptos...

[Poppy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shocking: the popes were awful and the Catholic Church is fucked. A lot of sodomy. Middle section got tiresome.

[Rock Angel]

Man, i don't know what's wrong with me but i went from wincing to ROTFL:

"Pope Pius II (1458-64) had been a well known author of erotic literature, and had fathered about 12 illegitimate children.

The Sistine Chapel was built by Pope Sixtus IV (1471-84). He had six illegitimate sons, of which one was the result of an incestuous relationship with his sister.

Pope Julius II (1503-13) who commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the the Sistine Chapel, was a pedophile and spent much of his time with small boys and male prostitutes.

In the year 1095 Pope Urban II introduced the callagium, a sex tax which allowed the clergy to keep mistresses, provided they paid an annual fee to the papacy. This had the immediate effect of reducing the use of concubines and hugely increasing clerical homosexuality.

Pope Paul III (1534-49) enjoyed an incestuous relationship with his daughter. To gain control of his family inheritance, he poisoned several relatives, including his mother and niece. He killed two cardinals and a Polish bishop to settle an argument over a theological point. Paul III was probably Rome's biggest ever pimp - he kept a roll of about 45,000 prostitutes, who paid him a monthly tribute.

Pope Julius III (1550-55) sodomized young boys, of which one was his own, illegitimate, son. He appointed several handsome teenage boys as cardinals. Cardinal della Casa's famous poem In Praise of Sodomy was dedicated to Pope Julius III."

Which makes our current Pope, Benedict XVI (papacy 2005 - how much longer?) look like an under achiever - LOL!

No library in my hood carries this bk

[Akmal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buku ini mungkin agak sulit 'diikuti', kecuali bagi orang yang sudah punya bekal pengetahuan tentang sejarah Kepausan. Bagi orang Asia, yang umumnya tidak banyak mengetahui seluk-beluk sejarah ini, mungkin perlu mengimbangi pembacaan buku ini dengan riset pribadi.

Ketika pertama kali membacanya, terus terang saya kurang mempercayai isinya. Kedengarannya terlalu provokatif, dan meskipun saya bukan seorang Katolik, agak sulit mempercayai bahwa sebagian Paus bisa melakukan hal-hal tidak senonoh seperti yang diceritakan dalam buku ini. Akan tetapi jika kita periksa dengan sumber-sumber lainnya (buku atau internet), kita akan temukan bahwa materi buku ini - paling tidak sebagian besarnya - adalah benar. Peradaban Eropa benar-benar telah mencatat tokoh-tokoh yang memiliki anak haram saat menjadi Paus, memiliki gundik, bahkan menjadi Paus dengan membunuh Paus sebelumnya. Sebagian Paus malah dinyatakan sebagai 'anti-Paus' setelah kepemimpinannya berakhir.

Buku ini cukup baik untuk memberikan gambaran mengapa peradaban Barat begitu anti dengan nilai-nilai religius, sehingga agama dianggap identik dengan fanatisme, kekerasan, bahkan penyimpangan yang dicari-cari pembenarannya.

[Kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

In all honesty the book reads like a medieval version of The National Enquirer, rife with lurid stories of sex and magic crammed full to the brim with innuendo and gossip. The problem is that there is absolutely no creditable citations, or any sort of linking to source material, not to mention a complete lack of bibliography. Consequently, so much of it feels exaggerated and plain old "pulled out of the author's ass". It is for this reason I am filing it under pseudo-history particularly when the author cites Chaucer's Canterbury Tales as a referemce. Mr Cawthorne, you ARE aware that Chaucer wrote fiction aren't you? And that Canterbury Tales was an exaggerated, over the top collection of tales aimed at making fun of perceived problems in 14th century society.

The few places he mentions people I recognize, the information is so wildly at odd with more creditable source material that I finally had to set the book down and walk away.

[Flinx · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is something no human creature should be allowed to suffer through. There is no book per se only a very long, very boring series of historical facts, with no literary value whatsoever. Anyone would be better off reading a humorous (short!) internet article about the depraved Renaissance popes rather than having to have to go through this so-called book.
To add insult to injury, the cover review depicts a 1Chumorous, yet historically accurate eye on papal promiscuity 1D, whereas the first attribute is surely surreal and completely absent, leaving the afore mentioned historically accurate, yet sleep-inducing eye 26
The reasons this book is rated with a star is, as my sister put it, to show that it has been rated rather than omitted and because there are no minus ratings available.
I have an earlier edition and it is with dread that I see that there is a new 2008 edition!

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

An historical book about the popes, it's interesting if you are into reading "text book" stuff. A history of the catholic church and its views on celibacy and sex. I learned that there was a female pope, that was in for a little over 2 years and was discovered as a woman after giving birth while riding on a horse in a holy procession! Several bishops and cardinals over the years who were women also, only after their deaths were they discovered as women.

[Meaghan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I think this book had some substantial inaccuracies -- I have read that Lucrezia Borgia was actually a decent woman who never committed any incest or killed anybody (though her dad and brother are another story). I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as I thought I would; I thought it was shallow as well as sloppily researched.

[Simone · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was poorly written and/or constructed, from memory, but entertaining to see what debauched lives popes had in the past and how sexually repressed we've become. Kinda sick to see how morality was shaped based on the fancy of the church.

[Darla · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay...I finished this dreadful thing, it makes the Inquirer look like real literature. I'd like to find an honest appraisal of the popes...not one that turns them all into saints and definitely not one like this claptrap. Ick.

[Erica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hilarious. Written like a tabloid magazine; sensationalized and lacking in sources. Also the author makes a ton of completely baseless leaps; fun to read, but pure speculation.

Verdict: should be in the humor or opinion section, NOT HISTORY.

[Miss Kodok · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, we can see that the popes are only the human being. They still need sex in their life.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book. You always knew popes were kind of corrupt, but this puts it to a whole new level. A must read!

[Jeff La Marca]

religion,catholic church,history,non-fiction

[Tacowsh1t · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it was a good read but the author didn't cite any of his references so I can't count on the information to be true and accurate.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book had potential to be an interesting read but unfortunately it was not. instead it was repeating the same thing over and over again, without proper sourcing on the top of that.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars.