"Pornocracy" is the name given to the 10th-century papacy by the chronicler Liudprand, a bishop of Cremona. During that era, two powerful and cunning women -- Theodora Theophylact and her daughter, Marozia -- succeeded in having six popes appointed over their lifetimes. Through those titular men, the two women ruled the Church and Rome itself.

Theodora, the wife of a powerful Roman judge, initially garnered influence because her daughter was the mistress of Pope Sergius III (904-911). He fathered Marozia's first child while she was still in her early teens. After Sergius died, Theodora had three Popes elected, including the Archbishop of Ravenna, a family ally who may also have been Theodora's lover.

After her mother's death, Marozia rose to power and masterminded the overthrow of John X. She allowed two inconsequential Popes to rule for a short time until her son, Pope Sergius' bastard child, was old enough to assume the papacy.

Marozia's scorned second son by her first marriage, Alberic, eventually foiled his mother's grandiose aspirations; he led a revolt against her and became Prince of Rome. A few years later, Alberic's son became Pope at the age of 18. Uninterested in religion, John XII was ill-mannered -- and rumors circulated that he turned the papal residence into a whorehouse.