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A history of the Papacy

Jesus founded the papacy in the first century, when he chose St. Peter, the leader of the apostles, to be his earthly representative. “Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church,” he states in chapter 16 of Matthew. “I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”

 

Those words, which now circle the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, serve as the biblical mandate for the papacy. 

 

The list below charts this long history from St Peter to the current Pope.

St Peter

33 to 64/67

Apostle of Jesus from whom he received the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, according to Matthew 16:18 and 19 . Executed by crucifixion upside-down; feast day (Feast of Saints Peter and Paul) 29 June, (Chair of Saint Peter) 22 February. Recognized by the Catholic Church as the first Bishop of Rome (Pope) appointed by Christ. Also revered as saint in Eastern Christianity, with a feast day of 29 June

St Linus

64/67? to 76/79?

Feast day 23 September. Also revered as a saint in Eastern Christianity, with a feast day of 7 June.

St Anacletus (Cletus)

76/79? to 88/92

Martyred; feast day 26 April. Once erroneously split into Cletus and Anacletus

St Clement I

88/92 to 97

Feast day 23 November. Issued 1 Clement which is said to be the basis of apostolic authority for the clergy. Also revered as a saint in Eastern Christianity, with a feast day of 25 November.

St Evaristus

97/99 to 105/107

Said to have divided Rome into parishes, assigning a priest to each. Feast day of 26 October.

St Alexander I

107 – 115

Inaugurated the custom of blessing houses with holy water. Also revered as a saint in Eastern Christianity, with a feast day of 16 March.

St Sixtus I

115/116 – 125

Feast day of 6 April. Also revered as a saint in Eastern Christianity, with a feast day of 10 August.

St Telesphorus

125 – 136/138

Feast day of 5 January. Also revered as a saint in Eastern Christianity, with a feast day of 22 February. Church Father St. Irenaeus called him a great martyr.

St Hyginus

136/138 – 140/142

Tradition holds he was martyred; feast day 11 January

St Pius I

140/142 – 155

Martyred by sword; feast day 11 July. Decreed that Easter should only be celebrated on a Sunday.

St Anicetus

155 – 20 April 168

Tradition holds he was martyred; feast day 17 April. Decreed that priests are not allowed to have long hair.

St Soter

168 – 174

Tradition holds he was martyred; feast day 22 April. Declared that marriage was valid as a sacrament blessed by a priest; formally inaugurated Easter as an annual festival in Rome.

St Eleuterus

174 – 24 May 189

Tradition holds he was martyred; feast day 6 May

St Victor I

189 – 198/199

Known for excommunicating Theodotus of Byzantium. Quartodecimanism controversy.

St Zephyrinus

199–20 December 217

Combated against the adoptionist heresies of the followers of Theodotus the Byzantium who were ruled by Theodotus, the Money Changer and Asclepiodotus. Although not physically martyred, he is called a martyr for the suffering he endured.

St Callixtus I

c. 217 – 222

Martyred; feast day 14 October.

St Urban I

222 – 23 May 230

Also revered as a saint in Eastern Christianity, with a feast day of 25 May.

St Pontian

21 July 230 – 28 September 235 (5 years, 69 days)

First to abdicate after exile to Sardinia by Emperor Maximinus Thrax. The Liberian Catalogue records his death on 28 September 235, the earliest exact date in papal history

St Anterus

21 November 235 – 3 January 236 (43 days)

Feast day 3 January. Also revered as a saint in Eastern Christianity, with a feast day of 5 August.

St Fabian

10 January 236 – 20 January 250 (14 years, 10 days)

Divided the communities of Rome into seven districts, each supervised by a deacon. Feast day 20 January. Also revered as a saint in Eastern Christianity, with a feast day of 5 August.

St Cornelius

6/11 March 251 – June 253 (2 years+)

Died a martyr through extreme hardship; feast day 16 September.

St Lucius I

25 June 253 – 5 March 254 (256 days)

Feast day 5 March.

St Stephen I

12 May 254 – 2 August 257 (3 years, 82 days)

Martyred by beheading; feast day 2 August. Also revered as a saint in Eastern Christianity, with the same feast day.

St Sixtus II

31 August 257 – 6 August 258 (341 days)

Martyred by beheading. Also revered as a saint in Eastern Christianity, with a feast day of 10 August.

St Dionysius

22 July 259 – 26 December 268 (9 years, 157 days)

Feast day 26 December

St Felix I

5 January 269 – 30 December 274 (5 years, 890 days)

St Eutychian

4 January 275 – 7 December 283 (8 years, 337 days)

St Caius

17 December 283 – 22 April 296 (12 years, 127 days)

Martyred (according to legend) Feast day 22 April. Also revered as a saint in Eastern Christianity, with a feast day of 11 August.

St Marcellinus

30 June 296 – 1 April 304 (7 years, 276 days)

Feast day 26 April. Also revered as a saint in Eastern Christianity, with a feast day of 7 June.

St Marcellus I

308–309

Banished from Rome under Maxentius (309).

St Eusebius

18 April – 17 August 309 or 310

Banished by the emperor Maxentius, and died in exile.

St Miltiades

2 July 311 – 10 January 314 (2 years, 192 days)

First pope after the end of the persecution of Christians through the Edict of Milan (313 AD) issued by Constantine the Great. Presided over the Lateran council of 313.

St Sylvester I

31 January 314 – 31 December 335 (21 years, 334 days)

Feast day 31 December. Also revered as a saint in Eastern Christianity, with a feast day of 2 January. First Council of Nicaea (325). Under him was built: the Basilica of St. John Lateran, Santa Croce in Gerusalemme and Old St. Peter's Basilica. Donation of Constantine.

St Mark

18 January 336 – 7 October 336 (263 days)

Feast day 7 October

St Julius I

6 February 337 – 12 April 352 (15 years, 66 days)

Arian controversy. Credited with splitting the birth of Christ into two distinct celebrations: The Epiphany stayed on the traditional date, and the Nativity was added on 25 December.

Liberius

17 May 352 – 24 September 366 (14 years, 130 days)

Earliest pope not yet canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. Revered as a saint in Eastern Christianity, with a feast day of 27 August

St Damasus I

1 October 366 – 11 December 384 (18 years, 71 days)

Patron of Jerome, commissioned the Vulgate translation of the Bible. Council of Rome (382).

St Siricius

11 December 384 – 26 November 399 (14 years, 350 days)

St Anastasius I

27 November 399 – 19 December 401 (2 years, 22 days)

Instructed priests to stand and bow their heads as they read from the Gospels.

St Innocent I

22 December 401 – 12 March 417 (15 years, 80 days)

Visigoth Sack of Rome (410) under Alaric

St Zosimus

18 March 417 – 26 December 418 (1 years, 283 days)

St Boniface I

28 December 418 – 4 September 422 (3 years, 250 days)

St Celestine I

10 September 422 – 27 July 432 (9 years, 321 days)

Also revered as a saint in Eastern Christianity, with a feast day of 8 April.

St Sixtus III

31 July 432 – 18 August 440 (8 years, 18 days)

St Leo I (Leo the Great)

29 September 440 – 10 November 461 (21 years, 43 days)

Convinced Attila the Hun to turn back his invasion of Italy. Wrote the Tome which was instrumental in the Council of Chalcedon and in defining the hypostatic union. Feast day 10 November. Also revered as a saint in Eastern Christianity, with a feast day of 18 February.

St Hilarius

19 November 461 – 29 February 468 (6 years, 102 days)

St Simplicius

3 March 468 – 10 March 483 (15 years, 7 days)

St Felix III (Felix II)

13 March 483 – 1 March 492 (8 years, 354 days)

Text.

St Gelasius I

1 March 492 – 21 November 496 (4 years, 265 days)

The last pope to have been born on the continent of Africa. The first pope called the "Vicar of Christ"

Anastasius II

24 November 496 – 19 November 498 (1 years, 360 days)

Tried to end the Acacian schism but it resulted in the Laurentian schism.

St Symmachus

22 November 498 – 19 July 514 (15 years, 239 days)

St Hormisdas

20 July 514 – 19 July 523 (8 years, 364 days)

Father of Pope Silverius. Acacian schism.

St John I

13 August 523 – 18 May 526 (2 years, 278 days)

St Felix IV (Felix III)

13 July 526 – 22 September 530 (4 years, 71 days)

Sometimes called Felix III. Built Santi Cosma e Damiano.

Boniface II

22 September 530 – 17 October 532 (2 years, 25 days)

Changed the numbering of the years in the Julian Calendar from Ab Urbe Condita to Anno Domini.

John II

2 January 533 – 8 May 535 (2 years, 126 days)

First pope not to use his personal name (Mercurio). This was because of the Roman god, Mercury.

St Agapetus I

13 May 535 – 22 April 536 (346 days)

Feast days 22 April and 20 September. Also revered as a saint in Eastern Christianity, with a feast day of 17 April.

St Silverius

1 June 536 – 11 November 537 (1 years, 163 days)

Exiled; feast day 20 June, son of Pope Hormisdas

Vigilius

29 March 537 – 7 June 555 (18 years, 70 days)

Pelagius I

16 April 556 – 4 March 561 (4 years, 322 days)

Credited with the construction of the basilica of Santi Apostoli.

John III

17 July 561 – 13 July 574 (12 years, 361 days)

Benedict I

2 June 575 – 30 July 579 (4 years, 58 days)

Pelagius II

26 November 579 – 7 February 590 (10 years, 73 days)

Ordered the construction of the Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura.

St Gregory I (Gregory the Great)

3 September 590 – 12 March 604 (13 years, 191 days)

The first formally to employ the titles Servus servorum Dei and Pontifex Maximus. Established the Gregorian chant. Feast day 3 September. Also revered as a saint in Eastern Christianity, with a feast day of 12 March. Known as "the Father of Christian Worship". Known as "St. Gregory the Dialogist" in Eastern Orthodoxy.

Sabinian

13 September 604 – 22 February 606 (1 years, 162 days)

Boniface III

19 February 607 – 12 November 607 (267 days)

St Boniface IV

25 August 608 – 8 May 615 (6 years, 256 days)

First pope to bear the same name as his immediate predecessor. Member of the Order of Saint Benedict.

St Adeodatus I (Deusdedit)

19 October 615 – 8 November 618 (3 years, 20 days)

Sometimes called Deusdedit, as a result Pope Adeodatus II is sometimes called Pope Adeodatus without a number. The first pope to use lead seals on papal documents, which in time came to be called Papal bulls.

Boniface V

23 December 619 – 25 October 625 (5 years, 306 days)

Honorius I

27 October 625 – 12 October 638 (12 years, 350 days)

Named a heretic and anathematized by the Third Council of Constantinople (680)

Severinus

28 May 640 – 2 August 640 (66 days)

John IV

24 December 640 – 12 October 642 (1 years, 292 days)

Theodore I

24 November 642 – 14 May 649 (6 years, 171 days)

The last pope from Palestine. Planned the Lateran Council of 649, but died before it could open.

St Martin I

21 July 649 – 16 September 655 (6 years, 57 days)

Last pope recognized as a martyr. Feast day of 12 November. Also revered as a saint in Eastern Christianity, with a feast day of 14 April.

St Eugene I

10 August 654 – 1 June 657 (2 years, 295 days)

St Vitalian

30 July 657 – 27 January 672 (14 years, 181 days)

Adeodatus II

11 April 672 – 17 June 676 (4 years, 67 days)

Sometimes called Pope Adeodatus (without a number) in reference to Pope Adeodatus I sometimes being called Pope Deusdedit. Member of the Order of Saint Benedict.

Donus

2 November 676 – 11 April 678 (1 years, 160 days)

St Agatho

27 June 678 – 10 January 681 (2 years, 197 days)

Also revered as a saint in Eastern Christianity, with a feast day of 20 February.

St Leo II

17 August 682 – 28 June 683 (315 days)

Feast day 3 July

St Benedict II

26 June 684 – 8 May 685 (317 days)

Feast day 7 May

John V

12 July 685 – 2 August 686 (1 years, 21 days)

Conon

21 October 686 – 22 September 687 (335 days)

St Sergius I

15 December 687 – 8 September 701 (13 years, 267 days)

Introduced the singing of the Lamb of God at mass

John VI

30 October 701 – 11 January 705 (3 years, 73 days)

John VII

1 March 705 – 18 October 707 (2 years, 231 days)

The second pope to bear the same name as his immediate predecessor.

Sisinnius

15 January 708 – 4 February 708 (21 days)

Constantine

25 March 708 – 9 April 715 (7 years, 15 days)

Last pope to visit Greece while in office, until John Paul II in 2001.

St Gregory II

19 May 715 – 11 February 731 (15 years, 268 days)

Feast day 11 February. Held the Synod of Rome (721).

St Gregory III

18 March 731 – 28 November 741 (10 years, 255 days)

The third pope to bear the same name as his immediate predecessor. Was previously the last pope to have been born outside Europe until the election of Francis in 2013.

St Zachary

3 December 741 – 22 March 752 (10 years, 110 days)

Feast day 15 March. Built the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva.

Pope-elect Stephen

23 March 752 – 25 March 752 (Never took office as pope)

Sometimes known as Stephen II. Died three days after his election; never receiving episcopal consecration. Some lists still include him. The Vatican sanctioned his addition in the sixteenth century; removed in 1961. He is no longer considered a pope by the Catholic Church.

Stephen II (Stephen III)

26 March 752 – 26 April 757 (5 years, 31 days)

Sometimes called Stephen III. The Donation of Pepin.

St Paul I

29 May 757 – 28 June 767 (10 years, 30 days)

Stephen III (Stephen IV)

7 August 768 – 24 January 772 (3 years, 170 days)

Sometimes called Stephen IV. The Lateran Council (769).

Adrian I

1 February 772 – 26 December 795 (23 years, 328 days)

St Leo III

26 December 795 – 12 June 816 (20 years, 169 days)

Crowned Charlemagne Imperator Augustus on Christmas Day, 800, thereby initiating what would become the office of Holy Roman Emperor requiring the imprimatur of the pope for its legitimacy.

Stephen IV (Stephen V)

12 June 816 – 24 January 817 (226 days)

Sometimes called Stephen V.

St Paschal I

25 January 817 – 11 February 824 (7 years, 17 days)

Credited with finding the body of Saint Cecilia in the Catacomb of Callixtus, building the basilica of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere and the church of Santa Maria in Domnica.

Eugene II

8 May 824 – August 27 827 (3 years, 111 days)

Valentine

31 August 827 – 10 October 827 (40 days)

Gregory IV

December 827 – 25 January 844 (17 years+)

Rebuilt the atrium of St. Peter’s Basilica and in the newly decorated chapel transferred the body of Gregory I.

Sergius II

25 January 844 – 7 January 847 (2 years, 347 days)

St Leo IV

27 January 847 – 17 July 855 (8 years, 171 days)

Member of the Order of Saint Benedict.

Benedict III

29 July 855 – 7 April 858 (2 years, 252 days)

St Nicholas I (Nicholas the Great)

24 April 858 – 13 November 867 (9 years, 203 days)

Encouraged missionary activity.

Adrian II

14 December 867 – 14 December 872 (5 years, 0 days)

John VIII

14 December 872 – 16 December 882 (10 years, 2 days)

Marinus I

16 December 882 – 15 May 884 (1 years, 151 days)

St Adrian III

17 May 884 – July 885 (1 year+)

Stephen V (Stephen VI)

September 885 – 14 September 891 (4 years+)

Sometimes called Stephen VI.

Formosus

19 September 891 – 4 April 896 (4 years, 198 days)

Posthumously ritually executed following the Cadaver Synod.

Boniface VI

4 April 896 – 19 April 896 (16days)

Stephen VI (Stephen VII)

22 May 896 – 14 August 897 (1 years, 84 days)

Sometimes called Stephen VII. Held the infamous Cadaver Synod.

Romanus

August 897 – November 897

Theodore II

December 897 - 20 December 897

John IX

January 898 – January 900 (2 years+)

Member of the Order of Saint Benedict.

Benedict IV

1 February 900 – July 903 (3 years+)

Leo V

July 903 – September 903

Sergius III

29 January 904 – 14 April 911 (7 years, 75 days)

"Saeculum obscurum" begins. The first pope to be depicted with the Papal Tiara.

Anastasius III

April 911 – June 913

Lando

July/August 913 – 25 February 914

John X

March 914 – May 928

Leo VI

June 928 – February 929

Stephen VII (Stephen VIII)

February 929 – 15 March 931

Sometimes called Stephen VIII.

John XI

February/March 931 – December 935

Leo VII

3 January 936 – 13 July 939 (3 years, 191 days)

Member of the Order of Saint Benedict.

Stephen VIII (Stephen IX)

14 July 939 – October 942

Sometimes called Stephen IX.

Marinus II

30 October 942 – 10 May 946 (3 years, 192 days)

Agapetus II

10 May 946 – 8 December 955 (9 years, 212 days)

John XII

16 December 955 – 14 May 964 (8 years, 150 days)

Deposed in 963 by Emperor Otto invalidly; end of the "Saeculum obscurum".

Benedict V

22 May 964 – 23 June 964 (32 days)

Elected by the people of Rome, in opposition to the Antipope Leo VIII who was appointed by Emperor Otto; he accepted his own deposition in 964 leaving Leo VIII as the sole pope.

Leo VIII

July 964 – 1 March 965

Appointed antipope by Emperor Otto in 963 in opposition to John XII and Benedict V. He became the true pope after Benedict V was deposed.

John XIII

1 October 965 – 6 September 972 (6 years, 341 days)

Chronicled after his death as "the Good".

Benedict VI

19 January 973 – June 974 (1 year+)

Deposed and murdered.

Benedict VII

October 974 – 10 July 983

John XIV

December 983 – 20 August 984

John XV

August 985 – March 996 (8 years+)

The first pope to formally canonize a saint.

Gregory V

3 May 996 – 18 February 999 (2 years, 291 days)

First German Pope

Sylvester II

2 April 999 – 12 May 1003 (4 years, 40 days)

The first French pope.

John XVII

June 1003 – 6 December 1003

John XVIII

25 December 1003 – July 1009 (5 years+)

Sergius IV

31 July 1009 – 12 May 1012 (2 years, 286 days)

Benedict VIII

18 May 1012 – 9 April 1024 (11 years, 327 days)

John XIX

April/May 1024 – 20 October 1032 (8 years+)

Benedict IX

20 October 1032 – 31 December 1044 (12 years, 72 days)

1st Term

Sylvester III

1 January 1045 - 31 March 1045 (0 years, 89 days)

Validity of election questioned; considered Anti-Pope; deposed at the Council of Sutri.

Benedict IX

1 April 1045 – 10 November 1045 (0 years, 223 days)

2nd Term; deposed at the Council of Sutri

Gregory VI

10 November 1045– 23 December 1046 (1 year, 43 days)

Deposed at the Council of Sutri

Clement II

24 December 1046 – 9 October 1047 (0 years, 289 days)

Appointed by Henry III at the Council of Sutri; crowned Henry III as Holy Roman Emperor.

Benedict IX

November 1047 – 17 July 1048

3rd Term; deposed and excommunicated

Damasus II

17 July 1048 – 9 August 1048 (0 years, 23 days)

St Leo IX

12 February 1049 – 19 April 1054 (5 years, 66 days)

In 1054, mutual excommunications of Leo IX and Patriarch of Constantinople Michael I Cerularius began the East–West Schism. The anathematizations were rescinded by Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras in 1965

Victor II

13 April 1055 – 28 July 1057 (2 years, 106 days)

Stephen IX (Stephen X)

2 August 1057 – 29 March 1058 (0 years, 241 days)

Sometimes called Stephen X. Member of the Order of Saint Benedict.

Nicholas II

6 December 1058 – 27 July 1061 (2 years, 233 days)

In 1059 the College of Cardinals was designated the sole body of pope electors in the document In nomine Domini. (Papal conclave).

Alexander II

30 September 1061 – 21 April 1073 (11 years, 203 days)

Authorised the Norman conquest of England in 1066.

St Gregory VII

22 April 1073 – 25 May 1085 (12 years, 33 days)

Initiated the Gregorian Reforms. Restricted the use of the title "Papa" to the Bishop of Rome. Member of the Order of Saint Benedict. Political struggle with German Emperor Henry IV, who had to go to Canossa (1077).

Bl. Victor III

24 May 1086 – 16 September 1087 (1 years, 115 days)

Member of the Order of Saint Benedict.

Bl. Urban II

12 March 1088 – 29 July 1099 (11 years, 139 days)

Preached and started the First Crusade. Member of the Order of Saint Benedict.

Paschal II

13 August 1099 – 21 January 1118 (18 years, 161 days)

Member of the Order of Saint Benedict. Ordered the building of the basilica of Santi Quattro Coronati.

Gelasius II

24 January 1118 – 28 January 1119 (1 years, 4 days)

Member of the Order of Saint Benedict.

Callixtus II

2 February 1119 – 13 December 1124 (5 years, 315 days)

Opened the First Council of the Lateran in 1123

Honorius II

15 December 1124 – 13 February 1130 (5 years, 60 days)

Canon Regular of S. Maria di San Reno. Approved the new military order of the Knights Templar in 1128.

Innocent II

14 February 1130 – 24 September 1143 (13 years, 222 days)

Canon Regular of Lateran; Convened the Second Council of the Lateran, 1139

Celestine II

26 September 1143 – 8 March 1144 (164 days)

Lucius II

12 March 1144 – 15 February 1145 (340 days)

Canon Regular of S. Frediano di Lucca

Bl. Eugene III

15 February 1145 – 8 July 1153 (8 years, 143 days)

Member of the Order of Cistercians. Announced the Second Crusade.

Anastasius IV

8 July 1153 – 3 December 1154 (1 years, 148 days)

Adrian IV

4 December 1154 – 1 September 1159 (4 years, 271 days)

First and only English pope; purportedly granted Ireland to Henry II, King of England. Canon Regular of St. Rufus Monastery .

Alexander III

7 September 1159 – 30 August 1181 (21 years, 357 days)

Convened the Third Council of the Lateran, 1179

Lucius III

1 September 1181 – 25 November 1185 (4 years, 85 days)

Urban III

25 November 1185 – 19 October 1187 (1 years, 328 days)

Gregory VIII

21 October 1187 – 17 December 1187 (57 days)

Canon Regular Premostratense. Proposed the Third Crusade

Clement III

19 December 1187 – 20 March 1191 (3 years, 91 days)

Celestine III

21 March 1191 – 8 January 1198 (6 years, 293 days)

Innocent III

8 January 1198 – 16 July 1216 (18 years, 190 days)

Convened the Fourth Council of the Lateran, 1215. Initiated the Fourth Crusade but later distanced himself from it and threatened participants with excommunication when it became clear that the leadership abandoned a focus on conquest of the Holy Land and instead intended to sack Christian cities.

Honorius III

18 July 1216 – 18 March 1227 (10 years, 243 days)

Initiated the Fifth Crusade. Approved several religious and tertiary orders.

Gregory IX

19 March 1227 – 22 August 1241 (14 years, 156 days)

Canonized Elisabeth of Hungary (1235). Initiated the Inquisition in France and endorsed the Northern Crusades.

Celestine IV

25 October 1241 – 10 November 1241 (16 days)

Died before coronation.

Innocent IV

25 June 1243 – 7 December 1254 (11 years, 165 days)

Convened the First Council of Lyons (1245). Issued the bull Ad extirpanda that permitted the torture of heretics (1252).

Alexander IV

12 December 1254 – 25 May 1261 (6 years, 164 days)

Established an Inquisition in France.

Urban IV

29 August 1261 – 2 October 1264 (3 years, 34 days)

Instituted the feast of Corpus Christi (1264).

Clement IV

5 February 1265 – 29 November 1268 (3 years, 298 days)

Interregnum

29 November 1268 – 1 September 1271

Almost 3 year period without a valid pope elected. This was due to a deadlock among cardinals voting for the pope.

Bl. Gregory X

1 September 1271 – 10 January 1276 (4 years, 131 days)

Convened the Second Council of Lyons (1274). Responsible for regulation all papal conclaves until the 20th century.

Bl. Innocent V

21 January 1276 – 22 June 1276 (153 days)

Member of the Dominican Order.

Adrian V

11 July 1276 – 18 August 1276 (38 days)

Annulled Gregory X's papal bull on the regulations of papal conclaves.

John XXI

8 September 1276 – 20 May 1277 (254 days)

Due to a confusion over the numbering of popes named John in the 13th century, there was no John XX. There has never been a John XX, because the 20th pope of this name formerly when elected, decided to skip the number XX and be counted as John XXI instead. He wanted to correct what in his time was believed to be an error in the counting of his predecessors John XV to XIX

Nicholas III

25 November 1277 – 22 August 1280 (2 years, 271 days)

Martin IV

22 February 1281 – 28 March 1285 (4 years, 34 days)

Honorius IV

2 April 1285 – 3 April 1287 (2 year, 1 day)

Nicholas IV

22 February 1288 – 4 April 1292 (4 years, 42 days)

Member of the Franciscan Order.

Interregnum

4 April 1292 – 5 July 1294

2 year period without a valid pope elected. This was due to a deadlock among cardinals voting for the pope.

St Celestine V

5 July 1294 – 13 December 1294 (161 days)

One of the few popes who resigned voluntarily. Member of the Order of Saint Benedict. Founded the Celestines.

Boniface VIII

24 December 1294 – 11 October 1303 (8 years, 291 days)

Formalized the Jubilee in 1300. Issued Unam Sanctam (1302) which proclaimed papal supremacy and pushing it to its historical extreme.

Bl. Benedict XI

22 October 1303 – 7 July 1304 (259 days)

Member of the Dominican Order. Reverted Boniface VIII's Unam Sanctam.

Clement V

5 June 1305 – 20 April 1314 (8 years, 319 days)

Pope at Avignon. Convened the Council of Vienne (1311–1312). Initiated the persecution of the Knights Templar with the bull Pastoralis Praeeminentiae under pressure from King Philip IV of France.

Interregnum

20 April 1314 – 7 August 1316

2 year period without a valid pope elected. This was due to a deadlock among cardinals voting for the pope.

John XXII

7 August 1316 – 4 December 1334 (18 years, 119 days)

Pope at Avignon. Controversial for his views on the Beatific Vision.

Benedict XII

20 December 1334 – 25 April 1342 (7 years, 126 days)

Pope at Avignon. Member of the Order of Cistercians. Known for issuing the Apostolic constitution Benedictus Deus (1336).

Clement VI

7 May 1342 – 6 December 1352 (10 years, 213 days)

Pope at Avignon. Reigned during the Black Death and absolved those who died of it of their sins.

Innocent VI

18 December 1352 – 12 September 1362 (9 years, 268 days)

Pope at Avignon. Through his exertions the Treaty of Brétigny (1360) was brought about.

Bl. Urban V

28 September 1362 – 19 December 1370 (8 years, 82 days)

Pope at Avignon. Member of the Order of Saint Benedict. Reformed areas of education and sent missionary movements across Europe and Asia. His pontificate witnessed the Alexandrian and Savoyard crusades.

Gregory XI

30 December 1370 – 27 March 1378 (7 years, 87 days)

Pope at Avignon; returns to Rome. The last French pope.

Urban VI

8 April 1378 – 15 October 1389 (11 years, 190 days)

Western Schism. Last pontiff to be elected outside the College of Cardinals.

Boniface IX

2 November 1389 – 1 October 1404 (14 years, 334 days)

Western Schism.

Innocent VII

17 October 1404 – 6 November 1406 (2 years, 20 days)

Western Schism

Gregory XII

30 November 1406 – 4 July 1415 (8 years, 216 days)

Western Schism; abdicated during the Council of Constance, which had been called by his opponent John XXIII.

Interregnum

4 July 1415 – 11 November 1417

Two-year period without a valid pope elected.

Martin V

11 November 1417 – 20 February 1431 (13 years, 101 days)

Convened the Council of Basel (1431). Initiated the Hussite Wars.

Eugene IV

3 March 1431 – 23 February 1447 (15 years, 357 days)

Member of the Augustinian Order. Nephew of Martin V. Crowned Sigismund emperor at Rome in 1433. Transferred the Council of Basel to Ferrara. It was later transferred again, to Florence, because of the Bubonic plague.

Nicholas V

6 March 1447 – 24 March 1455 (8 years, 18 days)

Member of the Dominican Order. Held the Jubilee of 1450. Crowned Frederick III emperor at Rome (1452). Created a library in the Vatican which would eventually become the Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana.

Callixtus III

8 April 1455 – 6 August 1458 (3 years, 120 days)

The first Spanish pope. Ordered the Feast of the Transfiguration to be celebrated on 6 August. Ordered the retrial of Joan of Arc, in which she was vindicated.

Pius II

19 August 1458 – 15 August 1464 (5 years, 362 days)

Displayed a great interest in urban planning. Founded Pienza near Siena as the ideal city in 1462. Known for his work on the Commentaries.

Paul II

30 August 1464 – 26 July 1471 (6 years, 330 days)

The nephew of Eugene IV. Built the Palazzo San Marco (now Palazzo Venezia). Approved the introduction of printing in the Papal States.

Sixtus IV

9 August 1471 – 12 August 1484 (13 years, 3 days)

Member of the Franciscan Order. Commissioned the Sistine Chapel. Authorized an Inquisition targeting converted Jewish Christians in Spain at the request of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand.

Innocent VIII

29 August 1484 – 25 July 1492 (7 years, 331 days)

Appointed Tomás de Torquemada. Endorsed the prosecution of witchcraft in the bull Summis desiderantes affectibus (1484).

Alexander VI

11 August 1492 – 18 August 1503 (11 years, 7 days)

Nephew of Callixtus III; father to Cesare Borgia and Lucrezia Borgia. Divided the extra-European world between Spain and Portugal in the bull Inter caetera (1493). No Alexander V due to the antipope.

Pius III

22 September 1503 – 18 October 1503 (26 days)

Nephew of Pius II. Founded the Piccolomini Library adjourning the Siena Cathedral.

Julius II

31 October 1503 – 21 February 1513 (9 years, 113 days)

Nephew of Sixtus IV; convened the Fifth Council of the Lateran (1512). Took control of all the Papal States for the first time. Commissioned Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Proposed plans for rebuilding St Peter's Basilica.

Leo X

9 March 1513 – 1 December 1521 (8 years, 267 days)

Son of Lorenzo the Magnificent. Closed the Fifth Council of the Lateran. Remembered for granting indulgences to those who donated to rebuild St. Peter's Basilica; excommunicated Martin Luther (1521). Extended the Spanish Inquisition into Portugal.

Adrian VI

9 January 1522 – 14 September 1523 (1 years, 248 days)

The only Dutch pope; last non-Italian to be elected pope until John Paul II in 1978. Tutor of Emperor Charles V. Retained his baptismal name as his regnal name.

Clement VII

26 November 1523 – 25 September 1534 (10 years, 303 days)

Cousin of Leo X. Rome plundered by imperial troops (1527). Forbade the divorce of Henry VIII; crowned Charles V as emperor at Bologna (1530). His niece was married to the future Henry II of France. Ordered Michelangelo's painting of The Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel.

Paul III

13 October 1534 – 10 November 1549 (15 years, 28 days)

Opened the Council of Trent (1545). His illegitimate son became the first Duke of Parma. Decreed the second and final excommunication of Henry VIII. Appointed Michelangelo to supervise construction of St. Peter's Basilica (1546).

Julius III

7 February 1550 – 29 March 1555 (5 years, 50 days)

Established the Collegium Germanicum (1552). Reconvened the Council of Trent. The Innocenzo Scandal.

Marcellus II

9 April 1555 – 1 May 1555 (0 years, 22 days)

The last to use his birth name as the regnal name. Instituted immediate economies in Vatican expenditures. The Missa Papae Marcelli composed in his honour.

Paul IV

23 May 1555 – 18 August 1559 (4 years, 87 days)

Member of the Theatines. Established the Roman Ghetto in Cum Nimis Absurdum (1555) and established the Index of Forbidden Books. Ordered Michelangelo to repaint the nudes of The Last Judgement modestly.

Pius IV

26 December 1559 – 9 December 1565 (5 years, 348 days

Reopened and closed the Council of Trent. Ordered public construction to improve the water supply of Rome. Instituted the Tridentine Creed.

St Pius V

7 January 1566 – 1 May 1572 (6 years, 115 days)

Member of the Dominican Order. Excommunicated Elizabeth I (1570). Battle of Lepanto (1571); instituted the feast of Our Lady of Victory. Issued the 1570 Roman Missal.

Gregory XIII

13 May 1572 – 10 April 1585 (12 years, 332 days)

Reformed the calendar (1582); built the Gregorian Chapel in the Vatican. The first pope to bestow the Immaculate Conception as Patroness to the Philippine Islands through the bull Ilius Fulti Præsido (1579). Strengthened diplomatic ties with Asian nations.

Sixtus V

24 April 1585 – 27 August 1590 (5 years, 125 days)

Member of the Conventual Franciscan Order. Known for fixing and completing building works to major basilicas in Rome. Limited the College of Cardinals to 70 in number; doubled the number of curial congregations.

Urban VII

15 September 1590 – 27 September 1590 (12 days)

Shortest-reigning pope; died before coronation. Set the first known worldwide smoking ban, banning smoking in and near all churches.

Gregory XIV

5 December 1590 – 16 October 1591 (0 years, 315 days)

Modified the constitution Effraenatam of Sixtus V so that the penalty for abortion did not apply until the foetus became animated (1591). Made gambling on papal elections punishable by excommunication.

Innocent IX

29 October 1591 – 30 December 1591 (62 days)

Supported the cause of Philip II and the Catholic League against Henry IV in the French Wars of Religion. Prohibited the alienation of church property.

Clement VIII

30 January 1592 – 3 March 1605 (13 years, 32 days)

Initiated an alliance of European Christian powers to partake in the war with the Ottoman Empire known as The Long War (1595). Convened the Congregatio de Auxiliis which addressed doctrinal disputes between the Dominicans and Jesuits regarding free will and divine grace

Leo XI

1 April 1605 – 27 April 1605 (26 days)

The nephew of Leo X. Called "Papa Lampo" (Lightning Pope) for his brief pontificate.

Paul V

16 May 1605 – 28 January 1621 (15 years, 257 days)

Known for various building projects which included the facade of St Peter's Basilica. Established the Bank of the Holy Spirit (1605); restored the Aqua Traiana.

Gregory XV

9 February 1621 – 8 July 1623 (2 years, 149 days)

Established the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (1622). Issued the bull Aeterni Patris (1621) which imposed conclaves to be by secret ballot. Issued the constitution Omnipotentis Dei against magicians and witches (1623).

Urban VIII

6 August 1623 – 29 July 1644 (20 years, 358 days)

Trial against Galileo Galilei. The last pope to expand papal territory by force of arms. Issued a 1624 bull that made the use of tobacco in holy places punishable by excommunication.

Innocent X

15 September 1644 – 7 January 1655 (10 years, 114 days)

The great-great-great-grandson of Alexander VI. Erected the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi in Piazza Navona. Promulgated the apostolic constitution Cum occasione (1653) which condemned five doctrines of Jansenism as heresy.

Alexander VII

7 April 1655 – 22 May 1667 (12 years, 45 days)

Great-nephew of Paul V. Commissioned St. Peter's Square. Issued the constitution Sollicitudo Omnium Ecclesiarum that set the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception almost identical to that of Pius IX centuries later.

Clement IX

20 June 1667 – 9 December 1669 (2 years, 172 days)

Commissioned the colonnade of St. Peter's Square. Mediated in the peace of Aachen (1668).

Clement X

29 April 1670 – 22 July 1676 (6 years, 84 days)

Canonized the first saint from the Americas: Saint Rose of Lima (1671). Decorated the bridge of Sant' Angelo with the ten statues of angels and the two fountains that adorn the piazza of St. Peter's. Established regulations for the removal of relics of saints from cemeteries.

Bl. Innocent XI

21 September 1676 – 12 August 1689 (12 years, 325 days)

Believed to have secretly funded William III's Glorious Revolution to overthrow James II. Condemned the doctrine of mental reservation (1679) and initiated the Holy League. Extended the Holy Name of Mary as a universal feast (1684). Admired for positive contributions to catechesis.

Alexander VIII

6 October 1689 – 1 February 1691 (1 years, 118 days)

Condemned the so-called philosophical sin (1690).

Innocent XII

12 July 1691 – 27 September 1700 (9 years, 77 days)

Issued the bull Romanum decet Pontificem to stop nepotism (1692). Erected various charitable and educational institutions.

Clement XI

23 November 1700 – 19 March 1721 (20 years, 116 days)

The "Chinese Rites" controversy. The last pope with Albanian origin. Patronized the first archaeological excavations in the Roman catacombs and made the feast of the Immaculate Conception universal.

Innocent XIII

8 May 1721 – 7 March 1724 (2 years, 304 days)

Prohibited the Jesuits from prosecuting their mission in China ordering that no new members should be received into the order.

Servant of God Benedict XIII

29 May 1724 – 21 February 1730 (5 years, 268 days)

Member of the Dominican Order; third and last member of the Orsini family to be pope. Originally called Benedict XIV due to the antipope but reverted to XIII. Repealed the worldwide tobacco smoking ban set by Urban VII and Urban VIII.

Clement XII

12 July 1730 – 6 February 1740 (9 years, 209 days)

Completed the new façade of the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran (1735). Commissioned the Trevi Fountain in Rome (1732). Condemned Freemasonry in In eminenti apostolatus (1738).

Benedict XIV

17 August 1740 – 3 May 1758 (17 years, 259 days)

Reformed the education of priests and the calendar of feasts. Completed the Trevi Fountain and affirmed the teachings of Thomas Aquinas; founded academies of art, religion and science.

Clement XIII

6 July 1758 – 2 February 1769 (10 years, 211 days)

Provided the famous fig leaves on nude male statues in the Vatican. Defended the Society of Jesus in "Apostolicum pascendi" (1765).

Clement XIV

19 May 1769 – 22 September 1774 (5 years, 126 days)

Member of the Conventual Franciscan Order. Suppressed the Society of Jesus in the brief "Dominus ac Redemptor" (1773).

Pius VI

15 February 1775 – 29 August 1799 (24 years, 195 days)

Condemned the French Revolution; expelled from the Papal States by French troops from 1798 until his death. The last pope to be a patron of Renaissance art.

Interregnum

29 August 1799 –14 March 1800

Six-month period without a valid pope elected. This was due to unique logistical problems (the old pope died a prisoner and the conclave was in Venice) and a deadlock among cardinals voting.

Servant of God Pius VII

14 March 1800 – 20 August 1823 (23 years, 159 days)

Member of the Order of Saint Benedict. Present at Napoleon's coronation as Emperor of the French. Briefly expelled from the Papal States by the French between 1809 and 1814.

Leo XII

28 September 1823 – 10 February 1829 (5 years, 135 days)

Placed the Catholic educational system under the control of the Jesuits through Quod divina sapientia (1824). Condemned the Bible societies.

Pius VIII

31 March 1829 – 30 November 1830 (1 years, 244 days)

Accepted Louis Philippe I as King of the French. Condemned the masonic secret societies and modernist biblical translations in the brief Litteris altero (1830).

Gregory XVI

2 February 1831 – 1 June 1846 (15 years, 119 days)

Member of the Camaldolese Order; last non-bishop to be elected to the papacy. Opposed democratic and modernising reforms in the Papal States.

Bl. Pius IX

16 June 1846 – 7 February 1878 (31 years, 236 days)

Opened the First Vatican Council; lost the Papal States to Italy. Defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception and defined papal infallibility. Issued the controversial Syllabus of Errors. Longest serving pope in history.

Leo XIII

20 February 1878 – 20 July 1903 (25 years, 150 days)

Issued the encyclical Rerum novarum; supported Christian democracy against Communism. Had the fourth-longest reign after Pius IX, Saint Peter and John Paul II. Promoted the rosary and the scapular and approved two new Marian scapulars; first pope to fully embrace the concept of Mary as mediatrix.

St Pius X

4 August 1903 – 20 August 1914 (11 years, 16 days)

Encouraged and expanded reception of the Eucharist. Combatted Modernism; issued the oath against it. Advocated the Gregorian Chant and reformed the Roman Breviary.

Benedict XV

3 September 1914 – 22 January 1922 (7 years, 141 days)

Credited for intervening for peace during World War I. Issued the 1917 Code of Canon Law; supported the missionaries in Maximum Illud. Remembered by Benedict XVI as a "prophet of peace".

Pius XI

6 February 1922 – 10 February 1939 (17 years, 4 days)

Signed the Lateran Treaty with Italy (1929) establishing Vatican City as a sovereign state. Inaugurated Vatican Radio; created the feast of Christ the King. Opposed Communism, Nazism and Fascism.

Ven. Pius XII

2 March 1939 – 9 October 1958 (19 years, 221 days)

Invoked papal infallibility in the encyclical Munificentissimus Deus; defined the dogma of the Assumption. Eliminated the Italian majority of cardinals. Credited with intervening for peace during World War II; controversial for his role in the Holocaust.

St John XXIII

28 October 1958 – 3 June 1963 (4 years, 218 days)

Opened the Second Vatican Council; called "Good Pope John". Issued the encyclical Pacem in terris (1963) on peace and nuclear disarmament; intervened for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962).

Bl. Paul VI

21 June 1963 – 6 August 1978 (15 years, 46 days)

Last pope to be crowned in a coronation with the tiara. First pope to travel to the USA and Australia; first pope since 1809 to travel outside Italy. Closed the Second Vatican Council. Issued the encyclical Humanae vitae (1968) condemning artificial contraception.

Servant of God John Paul I

26 August 1978 – 28 September 1978 (33 days)

Abolished the coronation opting for the Papal Inauguration. First pope to use 'the First' in papal name; first with two names for two immediate predecessors. Last pope to use the Sedia Gestatoria.

St John Paul II

16 October 1978 – 2 April 2005 (26 years, 168 days)

First Polish pope and first non-Italian pope since Adrian VI (1522–1523). Associated with the fall of Communism in Europe. Traveled extensively; first pope to travel to Canada. Third longest reign after Pius IX and Saint Peter. Founded World Youth Day (1984). Canonized more saints than all his predecessors.

Benedict XVI

19 April 2005 – 28 February 2013 (7 years, 315 days)

Oldest to become pope since Clement XII (1730). Elevated the Tridentine Mass to a more prominent position and promoted the use of Latin; re-introduced several disused papal garments. Established the Anglican Ordinariate. First pope to renounce the papacy on his own initiative since Celestine V (1294), retaining regnal name with title of Pope Emeritus.

Francis

13 March 2013 – present

First pope to be born outside Europe since Gregory III (731–741) and the first from the Americas; first pope from the Southern Hemisphere. First religious pope since Gregory XVI (1831–1846); first Jesuit pope. First to use a new and non-composed regnal name since Lando (913–914)

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