Popes Who Died Violently Pope John XII lived a life of vices, from gambling to theft to sex, and he also died by them. A husband who found the pope having sex with his wife is said to have beaten him to death. Corbis

Popes Who Died Violently St. Peter was driven out of Rome by the Emperor Nero, who hated Christians and had issued an order for his arrest. While outside of the city, St. Peter saw a vision of Jesus and decided to return to the city as a martyr. He asked to be crucified, but turned on his head so he would not imitate Jesus's death. Getty Images

Popes Who Died Violently Pope St. Clement I was tied to an anchor and thrown into the Black Sea after he converted his fellow prisoners in a stone quarry to Christianity. It was said the pope struck the ground with an ax and found water to quench the weary workers' thirst. The miracle made the men into believers, but sealed the pontiff's fate. Getty Images

Popes Who Died Violently The death of Pope John Paul I sparked conspiracy theories that the pontiff could have been poisoned, however they were never proven. On the morning of Sept. 29, 1978, 33 days after he was named pope, John Paul I was found dead in his bed. The Vatican reported the 65-year-old pope had likely died of a heart attack, and foul play has never been proven. Getty Images

Popes Who Died Violently Pope St. Stephen I was sitting on his throne and holding mass when the emperor's men stormed into the room and beheaded him, according to The Golden Legends, a collection of hagiographies published in Medieval times. Getty Images

Popes Who Died Violently The year after Pope St. Stephen I was beheaded, the same fate awaited Pope St. Sixtus II. He was one of of several popes to put up with Roman persecution and die a martyr. Getty Images