© Getty Images

Saint Peter -

Saint Peter, the first bishop of Rome and considered the first pope, was condemned to crucifixion by Emperor Nero. Out of humility, Peter requested to be crucified upside down, deeming himself unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus Christ.

© Getty Images

Clement I -

Clement of Rome’s papacy began in 92 CE, but he was arrested eight years later during a Roman persecution and banished from Rome. As punishment for converting pagans to Christianity, Clement was sentenced to death by having an anchor tied around his neck and thrown into the sea.

© Public Domain

Telesphorus -

Pope Telesphorus, serving during the reign of Roman Emperor Hadrian, is traditionally regarded as a martyr, having been executed for his faith in 137 CE. His legacy ties the papal office directly to the sacrifices demanded of the early Christian community.

© Getty Images

Pius I -

Pope Pius I is traditionally believed to have been martyred during one of the intermittent persecutions under Emperor Antoninus Pius or Marcus Aurelius. His death, which occurred around 154 CE, was a reflection of the continued vulnerability of Christianity at the time.

© Getty Images

Anicetus -

During a time of sporadic but fierce persecutions under Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Pope Anicetus is believed to have been martyred. His death occurred in April 168, in the middle of continued peril faced by early Christian leaders.

© Getty Images

Pontian -

Exiled to the harsh mines of Sardinia under Emperor Maximinus Thrax, Pope Pontian resigned the papacy on September 28, 235, to spare the Church chaos. He died from the brutal conditions in the mines, and became an early example of a pope’s violent, state-sanctioned suffering.

© Public Domain

Anterus -

Pope Anterus served only a few weeks in the papacy before dying on January 3, 236, and some sources suggest that he was martyred for ordering the strict recording of Christian martyrdoms. This act of defiance against Roman authority may have directly led to his violent death.

© Public Domain

Fabian -

Pope Fabian’s reign ended during the Decian Persecution when he was arrested and executed on January 20, 250. His death solidified him as a martyr, remembered for standing firm in the face of Rome’s relentless efforts to destroy the growing Christian Church.

© Getty Images

Cornelius -

In 253 CE, Pope Cornelius was exiled and subjected to cruel conditions that hastened his death. Cornelius was allegedly beheaded in the month of June, and his martyrdom became a testament to the resilience of the Church.

© Getty Images

Sixtus II -

Pope Sixtus II was captured by Roman soldiers while secretly officiating services in the catacombs of Rome. Without any formal trial, he was executed on the spot on August 6, 258. This was not an uncommon occurrence at the time, especially under the ruthless justice against Christian leadership during Emperor Valerian’s reign.

© Public Domain

Eutychian -

Although details are sparse, some traditions suggest that Pope Eutychian fell victim to anti-Christian violence during the late Roman persecutions. His death, which occurred on December 7, 283, remains shrouded in mystery but carries the haunting atmosphere of the Church’s early struggles.

© Getty Images

Caius -

Pope Caius reportedly died a martyr on April 22, 296, after fleeing persecution under Emperor Diocletian. Forced into hiding within Roman catacombs, he succumbed either to execution or the brutal conditions endured while evading imperial arrest.

© Getty Images

Marcellinus -

Pope Marcellinus is said to have been martyred in 304 CE after caving under pressure during the Diocletianic Persecution, although historical details are vague. His martyrdom was contested, which showed how even papal figures could be caught fatally between survival and principle.

© Getty Images

John I -

Pope John I was arrested by the Ostrogothic King Theodoric the Great and thrown into prison after a political-religious mission failed. Weakened by mistreatment and deliberate neglect, the pope died slowly in captivity, a victim of the cruel politics of his time. He eventually perished on August 13, 523.

© Getty Images

Silverius -

Pope Silverius was deposed and exiled by Byzantine forces loyal to Empress Theodora. Confined to the barren island of Palmarola, he was intentionally starved to death, a slow and deliberate act of cruelty wrapped in political betrayal. He perished on December 2, 537.

© Getty Images

Martin I -

Defying imperial religious policies, Pope Martin I was arrested, humiliated, and exiled to Crimea by the Byzantine emperor. Subjected to harsh treatment, he ultimately died in exile on September 16, 655, recognized later as a martyr for his courageous defense of orthodoxy.

© Getty Images

John VIII -

Pope John VIII was a target of political enemies, and on December 16, 882, he was allegedly poisoned by his entourage. When the poison did not work quickly enough, his assassins brutally finished him off with hammer blows to the head.

© Getty Images

Stephen VI -

After holding a notorious trial against his deceased predecessor (which is known as the Cadaver Synod), Pope Stephen VI became immensely unpopular. He was imprisoned and subsequently strangled by political opponents in August 897, who sought to rid Rome of his tainted leadership.

© Getty Images

Leo V -

After serving briefly as pope, Leo V was imprisoned by an antipope and is believed to have been murdered during his captivity in 903. Antipope Christopher, the cardinal-priest of San Lorenzo in Damaso, laid claim on the papacy after Leo’s murder, although he only reigned for a few months.

© Getty Images

John X -

Pope John X was deposed and imprisoned by political rivals, particularly the Roman noblewoman Marozia. Isolated and defenseless, he was smothered to death in prison on May 28, 928, another grim chapter in the era of papal corruption and lethal power struggles.

© Getty Images

John XII -

Living a notoriously debauched life, Pope John XII’s reign ended on May 14, 964, when he reportedly suffered a fatal blow to the head during an adulterous encounter. Some accounts suggest it was the jealous husband who delivered the fatal blow.

© Getty Images

Benedict V -

Pope Benedict V was deposed by imperial forces and exiled to Germany. Broken by the humiliation and harsh conditions, he died shortly afterward on July 4, 965, his downfall engineered by those who wielded secular power over the papal office.

© Getty Images

Benedict VI -

After a Roman uprising, Pope Benedict VI was imprisoned in the Castel Sant’Angelo. His opponents, eager to secure the throne for their own candidate, sent an assassin who strangled him in his cell, ending his papacy violently in June 974.

© Getty Images

John XIV -

Pope John XIV was thrown into the Castel Sant’Angelo by the antipope Boniface VII. After months of harsh conditions, John XIV either starved or was outright murdered. His official date of death was August 20, 984.

© Getty Images

Clement II -

Shortly after crowning Emperor Henry III of Germany, Pope Clement II suddenly fell ill and died on October 9, 1047. Historians have heavily speculated that he was poisoned, possibly due to his political alliances.

© Getty Images

Damasus II -

Appointed by Emperor Henry III, Pope Damasus II reigned only 23 days before dying under mysterious circumstances on August 9, 1048. Poisoning is a strong suspicion, and it proved that even imperial endorsement could not shield a pope from violent plots.

© Getty Images

Lucius II -

Pope Lucius II is one of the few popes to die directly from battle wounds. While leading an armed assault to reclaim power in Rome, he was struck on the head by stones during a riot and died shortly after on February 15, 1145, making his death almost uniquely militant among popes.

© Getty Images

Celestine V -

After abdicating, Celestine V was imprisoned by his successor, Boniface VIII. Though officially recorded as dying of natural causes on May 19, 1296, rumors of foul play, including possible murder to prevent any future challenge, haunted his papal memory.

© Public Domain

Boniface VIII -

After defying King Philip IV of France, Pope Boniface VIII was captured, beaten, and humiliated by the monarch’s troops. Though later freed, he soon died from trauma. Interestingly, King Philip IV stages a posthumous trial of Boniface, wherein he was accused of heresy and sodomy.

Sources: (HubPages) (Listverse) (Britannica)

See also: Conclave to elect new pope starts on May 7, Vatican announces

© Getty Images