950-969 Poland Converted to Christianity

This twenty year period covers the reign of the King Eldred of England at a time when the Poles were being converted to Roman Catholicism and the Russian Orthodox Christian civilization was flourishing. It was also a period of clashes between the Popes of the Rome and the Holy Roman Emperor in Germany.

In England, King Eldred died in 955 and was succeeded by his nephew Edwig All-Fair who died in 959 and was succeeded by Edwy's younger brother Edgar the Peacemaker

Agapitus II was the Roman Pope and, like his predecessors, owed his position to Alberic II, a powerful Roman nobleman and son of Marozia -- the mistress of Pope Sergius III -- by her first husband.

When the German King Otto I expected to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor, Alberic II prevented Pope Agapitus II from performing the ceremony.

Agapitus II kept his papacy in return for doing Alberic II's bidding and agreeing, along with other Roman nobles, that Alberic's bastard son, Octavian, would become the next pope.

Octavian duly became Pope John XII in 955 and scandalized the Romans, turning the Lateran into a brothel.

Octavian sought Otto's help in return for crowning him Holy Roman Emperor.

Otto agreed, restored order in Rome and was crowned in 962.

Octavian, as Pope John XII, then double-crossed Otto and the emperor deposed him, electing Leo VIII in his place in 963.

Disliking a German interfering in their affairs, the Romans revolted in Pope John XII's favor, restored him as pope and when he died in 964 at the age of 27 from a stroke in an act of adultery they covered up his debauchery by saying he was hit on the head by Satan.

Benedict V was elected as the next pope by the Romans in 964, but Otto immediately deposed him and made John XIII pope in 965.