John XIV

Peter Canepanova · 983 – 984

Chosen by Otto II from the imperial court, he was imprisoned and starved to death when his patron died unexpectedly.

Peter Canepanova was the bishop of Pavia and chancellor to Emperor Otto II before being chosen as pope in 983. He took the name John, becoming the first pope known to have changed his birth name upon election, reportedly because his given name Peter seemed presumptuous. When Otto II died just weeks after the election, John lost his only protection. The antipope Boniface VII returned to Rome, threw John into the Castel Sant'Angelo, and left him to die of starvation or poison in 984.

The First Name Change

John XIV may have started one of the papacy's most enduring traditions: changing one's name upon election. He felt that keeping the name Peter would be too bold, since only the first pope had borne it. Whether or not the tradition started with him, no pope has ever again taken the name Peter.