Theodora was a senatrix of Rome, mother of Marozia, and concubine to Pope Sergius III, whose pontificate, so far as is known, was remarkable for nothing but the rise of the pornocracy of Theodora and her daughters, a period also called the Rule of the Harlots. A senate is a deliberative body, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1,500 km²  (580 sq mi... Marozia also known as Mariuccia, given the unprecedented titles senatrix (senatoress) and patricia of Rome by Pope John X, was born about 890, and died, imprisoned by her son Alberic II, duke of Spoleto, between 932 and 937. ... Pope Sergius III, scion of Benedictus, of a noble Roman family, reigned in two intervals between 897 and April 14, 911, during a period of feudal violence and disorder in central Italy, where the Papacy was a pawn of warring aristocratic factions. ... Pontiff is a title of certain religious leaders. ... Pornocracy is a term that has been used to mean government by or domination of government by prostitutes. ...

Theodora was a grandmother of Pope John XI, a son of Marozia and—according to Liutprand of Cremona and the Liber Pontificalis—Pope Sergius III. John XI (910?–936) was a pope from 931 to 936. ... Liutprand (Liudprand, Luitprand) (c. ... The Book of the Popes or the Liber Pontificalis is a major source for early medieval history but was also met with intense critical scrutiny. ... Pope Sergius III, scion of Benedictus, of a noble Roman family, reigned in two intervals between 897 and April 14, 911, during a period of feudal violence and disorder in central Italy, where the Papacy was a pawn of warring aristocratic factions. ...

She was characterized by the aforementioned Liutprand, Italian historian and bishop of Cremona, as a "shameless whore ... [who] exercised power on the Roman citizenry like a man." This bishop of Cremona was described by the Catholic Encyclopedia as frequently being unfair to his adversaries and could be partial in his judgments. Seeing how many in the church were biased against female rule, not all that has been written by him can therefore be taken as undisputed truth. Two bishops assist at the Exhumation of Saint Hubert, who was a bishop too, at the église Saint-Pierre in Liège. ... Cremona is a city in Northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left shore of the Po river in the middle of the Pianura padana (Po valley). ... The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in 1913 by The Encyclopedia Press. ...

References

• The Catholic Encyclopedia entry on Liutprand of Cremona