The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire · Character
Pope Benedict XII
Also known as Benedict XII, Benedict the Twelfth
- Minor
- First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 287
Pope Benedict XII presents a striking contrast between the grandeur of his office and the simplicity of his origins. His presence suggests a man perhaps overwhelmed by the complexities of his position, marked by the very human frailties that transcend even papal dignity.
- Gender
- male
- Age
- Middle-aged adult
- First appears
- Book 1 · Ch. 287
- Books
- 1
Pope Benedict XII appears as a man of dull peasant appearance whose reign was marked by his perplexity with scruples and immersion in sloth and wine, making him perhaps unfit for the dual demands of regal and pastoral office. His receipt of the Byzantine embassy places him at the intersection of Eastern and Western Christian traditions during a complex period of papal history.
Description
A middle-aged man whose features bear the marks of his peasant origins, with an appearance marked by the effects of sloth and wine. He wears the papal robes with the distinctive third crown on the papal tiara, his presence suggesting both the weight of his office and the human limitations that shaped his reign.
Story so far
BOOK 1The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire / Table of Contents with links in the HTML file to the two Project Gutenberg editions (12 volumes)
Appearances
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