List of Popes

Providing a list of the popes is not the simple matter it might seem. The difficulty begins at the beginning: who was the first pope? As I mentioned in chapter 1, the earliest lists begin not with Peter but with Linus because Peter was an apostle, which was a much higher status than bishop (pope). Some historians today, for example the much respected Eamon Duffy, follow that tradition and number Linus as the first pope. Yet, as I argued in chapter 1, it is possible to consider Peter a bishop because in the Church of Rome he presumably exercised a special leadership role in the community, which is what we mean by a bishop. I therefore follow the practice of the Annuario Pontificio, the annual and official “catalog” of the Holy See, which characteristically names Peter the first pope.

How to list the popes when two or three men simultaneously claim the office? In most instances, contemporaries or subsequent tradition clearly distinguished between the validly chosen pope and his rival(s), the anti-pope(s). But that is not always the case. The popes at the time of the Great Western Schism pose a special problem because even today some reputable historians of the era hesitate to pronounce on the matter. As mentioned above in chapter 15, until 1947, the Annuario listed the two claimants of the Pisan line (Alexander V and John XXIII) as legitimate. Only beginning in 1947 has it listed them, along with the two Avignonese popes (Clement VII and Benedict XIII), as anti-popes.

Another problem is the use of ordinal numbers to tell one pope from another. By the sixth century it became necessary to distinguish popes of the same name by assigning them a number, but this was not done in a systematic way. In some cases considerable confusion ensued, which was especially marked for popes named Martin, Felix, and Stephen. The issue is thoroughly discussed in the entry “Onomastics, Pontifical,” in The Papacy: An Encyclopedia (Routledge, 2002), especially pp. 1065–1066.

Below I follow the list of popes and anti-popes as given in the current Annuario, but I feel justified in doing so only after having called attention to the problem of providing a list of the “true” popes. I also follow the practice in that listing of indenting the names of the anti-popes. Except for Peter and Clement, no certain dates can be assigned the first six popes, and the dates assigned to others beginning with Sixtus I are approximate into the third century.

Peter	c. 64
Linus
Anacletus
Clement	c. 96
Evaristus
Alexander I
Sixtus I	c.117–c.127
Telephorus	c. 127–c.136
Hyginus	c. 138–c. 142
Pius I	c. 142–c. 155
Anicetus	c. 155–c. 166
Soter	c. 166–c. 174
Eleutherius	c. 174–c. 189
Victor	c. 189–c. 199
Zepherinus	c. 199–c. 217
Callixtus I	c. 217–222
Hippolytus	217–c. 235
Urban I	c. 222–230
Pontian	230–235
Anterus	235–236
Fabian	236–250
Cornelius	251–253
Novatian	251–258
Lucius I	253–254
Stephen I	254–257
Sixtus II	257–258
Dionysius	260–268
Felix I	269–274
Eutychian	275–283
Gaius (Caius)	283–296
Marcellinus	296–?
Marcellus	c. 306–c. 309
Eusebius	310
Miltiades	311–314
Sylvester	314–335
Mark	336
Julius I	337–352
Liberius	352–366
Felix II	355–365
Damasus	366–384
Ursinus	366–367
Siricius	384–399
Anastasius I	399–401
Innocent I	401–417
Zosimus	417–418
Eulalius	418
Boniface	418–422
Celestine I	422–432
Sixtus III	432–440
Leo I	440–461
Hilarus (Hilary)	461–468
Simplicius	468–483
Felix III (II)	483–492
Gelasius I	492–496
Anastasius II	496–498
Symmachus	498–514
Lawrence	498–499, 502–506
Hormisdas	514–523
John I	523–526
Felix IV (III)	526–530
Dioscorus	530
Boniface II	530–532
John II (Mercury)	533–535
Agapitus I	535–536
Silverius	536–537
Vigilius	537–555
Pelagius I	556–561
John III	561–574
Benedict I	575–579
Pelagius II	579–590
Gregory I	590–604
Sabinian	604–606
Boniface III	607
Boniface IV	608–615
Adeodatus I	615–618
Boniface V	619–625
Honorius I	625–638
Severinus	c. 638–640
John IV	640–642
Theodore	642–649
Martin I	649–653
Eugene I	654–657
Vitalian	657–672
Adeodatus II	672–676
Donus	676–678
Agatho	678–681
Leo II	682–683
Benedict II	684–685
John V	685–686
Conon	686–687
Theodore	687
Paschal	687
Sergius I	687–701
John VI	701–705
John VII	705–707
Sisinnius	708
Constantine I	708–715
Gregory II	715–731
Gregory III	731–741
Zacharias	741–752
Stephen II (III)	752–757
Paul I	757–767
Constantine	767–768
Philip	768
Stephen III (IV)	768–772
Hadrian I	772–795
Leo III	795–816
Stephen IV (V)	816–817
Paschal I	817–824
Eugene II	824–827
Valentine	827
Gregory IV	827–844
John	844
Sergius II	844–847
Leo IV	847–855
Benedict III	855–858
Anastasius Bibliothecarius	855
Nicholas I	858–867
Hadrian II	867–872
John VIII	872–882
Marinus I (Martin I)	882–884
Hadrian III	884–885
Stephen V (VI)	885–891
Formosus	891–896
Boniface VI	896
Stephen VI (VII)	896–897
Romanus	897
Theodore II	897
John IX	898–900
Benedict IV	900–903
Leo V	903
Christopher	903–904
Sergius III	904–911
Anastasius III	911–913
Lando	913–914
John X	914–928
Leo IV	928
Stephen VII (VIII)	928–931
John XI	931–935
Leo VII	936–939
Stephen VIII (IX)	939–942
Marinus II (Martin III)	942–946
Agapitus II	946–955
John XII	955–964
Leo VIII	963–965 [sic]
Benedict V	964 [sic]
John XIII	965–972
Benedict VI	973–974
Boniface VII	974, 984–985
Benedict VII	974–983
John XIV	983–984
John XV	985–996
Gregory V	996–999
John XVI	997–998
Sylvester II	999–1003
John XVII	1003
John XVIII	1003–1009
Sergius IV	1009–1012
Gregory VI	1012
Benedict VIII	1012–1024
John XIX	1024–1032
Benedict IX	1032–1044, 1045
Sylvester III	1045
Gregory VI	1045–1046
Clement II	1046–1047
Damasus II	1048
Leo IX	1049–1054
Victor II	1055–1057
Stephen IX (X)	1057–1058
Benedict X	1058–1059
Nicholas II	1059–1061
Alexander II	1061–1073
Honorius II	1061–1064
Gregory VII	1073–1085
Clement III	1080, 1084–1100
Victor III	1086–1087
Urban II	1088–1099
Paschal II	1099–1118
Theoderic	1100–1101
Albert	1101
Sylvester IV	1105–1111
Gelasius II	1118–1119
Gregory VIII	1118–1121
Callixtus II	1119–1124
Honorius II	1124–1130
Celestine II	1124
Innocent II	1130–1143
Anacletus II	1130–1138
Victor IV	1138
Celestine II	1143–1144
Lucius II	1144–1145
Eugene III	1145–1153
Anastasius IV	1153–1154
Hadrian IV	1154–1159
Alexander III	1159–1181
Victor IV	1159–1164
Paschal III	1164–1168
Callixtus III	1168–1178
Innocent III	1179–1180
Lucius III	1181–1185
Urban III	1185–1187
Gregory VIII	1187
Clement III	1187–1191
Celestine III	1191–1198
Innocent III	1198–1216
Honorius III	1216–1227
Gregory IX	1227–1241
Celestine IV	1241
Innocent IV	1243–1254
Alexander IV	1254–1261
Urban IV	1261–1264
Clement IV	1265–1268
Gregory X	1271–1276
Innocent V	1276
Hadrian V	1276
John XXI	1276–1277
Nicholas III	1277–1280
Martin IV	1281–1285
Honorius IV	1285–1287
Nicholas IV	1288–1292
Celestine V	1294
Boniface VIII	1294–1303
Benedict XI	1303–1304
Clement V	1305–1314
John XXII	1316–1334
Nicholas V	1328–1330
Benedict XII	1334–1342
Clement VI	1342–1352
Innocent VI	1352–1362
Urban V	1362–1370
Gregory XI	1370–1378
Urban VI	1378–1389
Clement VII	1378–1394
Boniface IX	1389–1404
Benedict XIII	1394–1417
Innocent VII	1404–1406
Gregory XII	1406–1415
Alexander V	1409–1410
John XXIII	1410–1415
Martin V	1417–1431
Eugene IV	1431–1447
Felix V	1439–1449
Nicholas V	1447–1455
Callixtus III	1455–1458
Pius II	1458–1464
Paul II	1464–1471
Sixtus IV	1471–1484
Innocent VIII	1484–1492
Alexander VI	1492–1503
Pius III	1503
Julius II	1503–1513
Leo X	1513–1521
Hadrian VI	1522–1523
Clement VII	1523–1534
Paul III	1534–1549
Julius III	1550–1555
Paul IV	1555–1559
Pius IV	1559–1565
Pius V	1566–1572
Gregory XIII	1572–1585
Sixtus V	1585–1590
Urban VII	1590
Gregory XIV	1590–1591
Innocent IX	1591
Clement VIII	1592–1605
Leo XI	1605
Paul V	1605–1621
Gregory XV	1621–1623
Urban VIII	1623–1644
Innocent X	1644–1655
Alexander VII	1655–1667
Clement IX	1667–1669
Clement X	1670–1676
Innocent XI	1676–1689
Alexander VIII	1689–1691
Innocent XII	1691–1700
Clement XI	1700–1721
Innocent XIII	1721–1724
Benedict XIII	1724–1730
Clement XII	1730–1740
Benedict XIV	1740–1758
Clement XIII	1758–1769
Clement XIV	1769–1774
Pius VI	1775–1799
Pius VII	1800–1823
Leo XII	1823–1829
Pius VIII	1829–1830
Gregory XVI	1831–1846
Pius IX	1846–1878
Leo XIII	1878–1903
Pius X	1903–1914
Benedict XV	1914–1922
Pius XI	1922–1939
Pius XII	1939–1958
John XXIII	1958–1963
Paul VI	1963–1978
John Paul I	1978
John Paul II	1978–2005
Benedict XVI	2005–