Popes (alphabetical list A-L)
From Hull AWE
AWE has two lists naming the Popes - one alphabetical, and the other chronological (see chronological list). For technical reasons to do with the sizes of the pages, these have had to be subdivided. This page coves the first half of the alphabetical list; there is also Popes (alphabetical list M-Z).
Alphabetical List of Popes (and Antipopes) after Kelly & Walsh 2010. Their The Oxford Dictionary of Popes contains biographical details of every Pope in AWE's lists, and is available on line, through Athens.
There is very little evidence - and some accretion of legend - about the earliest Popes. Schismatic Popes - those not recognized by the current Roman Catholic Church - are listed as Antipopes. Their names in the first column are italicized and enclosed in [square brackets].
You may find it more helpful to consult the chronological list.
| Papal name | regnal dates | original name | family/nationality | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Adalbert] | 1101 | another form of Albert (below) | ||
| Adeodatus I | Later name of Deusdedit (see below) | Adeodatus is the passive equivalent of the active 'God-given' for 'God gave' | ||
| Adeodatus II | 672–6 | 'son of Jovinianus' | ||
| Adrian - see Hadrian (below) | ||||
| Agapitus I (Agapetus) | 535–6 | 'son of Gordianus' | Canonized | |
| Agapitus II (Agapetus) | 946–55 | Nothing is known of his origins | ||
| Agatho | 678–81 | (Sicilian) | Canonized | |
| [Albert (Adalbert)] | 1101 | Antipope, in opposition to Pascal II (below); died imprisoned in a monastery | ||
| Alexander I | c.109–c.116 | 'son of Alexander' | Canonized; reputed a martyr | |
| Alexander II | 1061–73 | Anselm | 'of Baggio' [near Milan] | |
| Alexander III | 1159–81 | Orlando (Roland), son of Ranuccio | Bandinelli | Born at Siena c. 1100 |
| Alexander IV | 1254–61 | Rinaldo | son of Philip count of Ienne | |
| [Alexander V] | 1409–10 | Pietro (Peter of Candia) | Philarghi | antipope in opposition to both Gregory XII and Antipope Benedict XIII (below): "some historians give him the compromise description of 'council pope'" (Kelly & Walsh 2010) |
| Alexander VI | 1492–1503 | Rodrigo de Borja y Borja | Borgia | |
| Alexander VII | 1655–67 | Fabio | Chigi | Born 1599 at Siena |
| Alexander VIII | 1689–91 | Pietro | Ottoboni | born at Venice, 1610 |
| Anacletus | c.79–c.91 | Canonized; the 3rd Pope, perhaps a slave | ||
| [Anacletus II] | 1130–38 | Pietro (Cardinal of Sta Maria in Trastevere) | Pierleoni | Antipope (disputed) at time of Innocent III' (below) |
| Anastasius I | 399–401 | (Roman by birth) | Canonized | |
| Anastasius II | 496–8 | 'son of Peter' | Roman by birth | |
| Anastasius III | 911–13 | 'son of Lucian' | Roman by birth | Little evidence survives |
| Anastasius IV | 1153–4 | Roman; Corrado | ||
| [Anastasius Bibliothecarius] | 855 | 'nephew of Arsenius' (d. 868) | Antipope in opposition to Benedict III | |
| Anicetus | c.155–c.166 | Syrian | Canonized | |
| Anterus | 235–6 | ? Greek | Canonized | |
| Benedict I | 575–579 | 'Son of Boniface' | ||
| Benedict II | 684–5 | 'Roman by birth' | Canonized (see Saint Benedict | |
| Benedict III | 855–8 | Roman | ||
| Benedict IV | 900–03 | 'son of Mammolus' | Roman | |
| Benedict V | 964 | Roman | Victim of politics: elected 22 May; deposed 23 June 964 | |
| Benedict VI | 973–4 | 'son of Hildebrand' | Roman | |
| Benedict VII | 974–83 | 'son of David' | Roman; connected to Crescentii | aristocrat |
| Benedict VIII | 1012–24 | Theophylact | Tusculan (Counts of Tusculum) | Born c. 980 |
| Benedict IX | 1032–44; 1045; 1047–8 | Theophylact | Tusculan | Nephew of Benedict VIII (also Theophylact Unpopular, licentious. Died 1055 or 1056 |
| [Benedict X] | 1058–9 | John | Mincius | Antipope in opposition to Gregory VII. Died (confined) 1073 |
| Benedict XI | 1303–4 | Niccolò | Boccasino | Blessed, the rank in the canon below that of Saint. Born at Treviso in 1240 |
| Benedict XII | 1334–42 | Jacques | Fournier | French; born c. 1280–85 |
| Benedict XIII | 1724–30 | Pietro Francesco | Orsini | |
| [Benedict (XIII)] | 1394–1417 | Pedro | de Luna (Spanish) | Antipope in opposition to Boniface IX; ; born c. 1342/3; died 1423 |
| Benedict XIV | 1740–58 | Prospero Lorenzo | Lambertini | Born 1675 |
| [Benedict (XIV) #1] | 1425–?1430 | Bernard | Garnier | Antipope in opposition to Clement VIII; very obscure. |
| [Benedict (XIV #2)] | 1467 | Jean | Carrier | Antipope. Shadowy figure, 'elected' by single cardinal of Benedict (XIV) |
| Benedict XV | 1914–22 | Giacomo | Della Chiesa | Born 1854. |
| Benedict XVI | 2005–2013 | Josef | Ratzinger (German) | Born 1927. Resigned 2013 - 1st Pope to do so for 500 years |
| Boniface I | 418–22 | 'son of Iocundus' | Roman by birth | Canonized |
| Boniface II | 530–32 | 'son of Sigibuld | Germanic, although born in Rome | |
| Boniface III | 607 | Roman-born, possibly of Greek family | ||
| Boniface IV | 608–15 | Born in Aquila (Italy) | Canonized | |
| Boniface V | 619–25 | 'son of John' | Naples | |
| Boniface VI | 896 | 'son of Bishop Hadrian' | Died after fifteen days | |
| [Boniface VII] | 974; 984–5 | Franco | son of Ferrucius | Antipope, Crescentii candidate vs Benedict VI |
| Boniface VIII | 1294–1303 | Benedetto | Caetani. | Born c. 1235 |
| Boniface IX | 1389–1404 | Pietro | Tomacelli | Born c. 1350 at Naples |
| Caius - see Gaius, below | ||||
| Callistus (Calixtus) I | 217–22 | Roman (from Trastevere) | Canonized; a former slave and convict | |
| Callistus II | 1119–24 | Son of Count William of Burgundy | Burgundian | Born in Franche Comté c. 1050 |
| Callistus III | 1455–8 | Alfonso | de Borja or Borgia | Born in Valencia, 1378 |
| [Callistus (III)] | 1168–78 | Giovanni | Antipope; Frederick Barbarossa's candidate against Alexander III (above). Submitted 1178; d. before 1184. | |
| Celestine I | 422–32 | son of Priscus | Italian (Campagna) | Canonized |
| Celestine II | 1143–4 | Guido | of Città di Castello, in Umbria | |
| [Celestine (II)] | 1124 | Teobaldo | Antipope in opposition to Nonorius II. Elected 15th, resigned 16th Dec. 1124: d. 1125 or 6 | |
| Celestine III | 1191–8 | Giacinto | Bobo (Boboni, later Orsini) family | Born c. 1105, elected at 85 |
| Celestine IV | 1241 | Goffredo | da Castiglione | Died within days of election. |
| Celestine V | 1294 | Pietro | del Morrone | Hermit (peasant stock); elected after stalemate. Canonized (St Peter Celestine); only Pope to abdicate voluntarily. |
| [Christopher] | 903–4 | Antipope, in opposition to Leo V (below), whom he jailed. Jailed & murdered with Leo by Sergius III | ||
| Clement I | c.91–c.101 | Canonized. Perhaps the 'Clement' mentioned in NT (Philippians 4:3). | ||
| Clement II | 1046–7 | Suidger | A Saxon (German) | Proposed by Henry III of Germany to break Roman families' domination of papacy |
| Clement III | 1187–91 | Paolo | Scolari (Roman) | |
| [Clement (III)] | 1080; 1084;–1100 | Guibert | (of Canossa) | Antipope in opposition to Gregory VII (below) |
| Clement IV | 1265–8 | Guy | Foucois (French) | Born c. 1195 |
| Clement V | 1305–14 | Bertrand | de Got. A Gascon (French) | Born c. 1250 |
| Clement VI | 1342–52 | Pierre | son of Guillaume Roger (French) | |
| Clement VII | 1523–34 | Giulio | de' Medici, bastard of Giuliano and nephew of Lorenzo the Magnificent | Born at Florence 1479 |
| [Clement (VII)] | 1378–94 | Robert | son of count of Geneva | Antipope in opposition to Urban IV: first of the antipopes of the Great (Western) Schism. |
| Clement VIII | 1592–1605 | Ippolito | Aldobrandini | The instigator of the Clementine Vulgate. Born at Fano 1536. |
| [Clement (VIII)] | 1423–9 | Gil Sanchez | Muñoz y Carbón (Spanish) | Antipope in opposition to Martin V. Born c. 1360, d, 1446 |
| Clement IX | 1667–9 | Giulio | Rospigliosi | Born 1600 |
| Clement X | 1670–76 | Emilio | Altieri | Born in Rome 1590 |
| Clement XI | 1700–21 | Giovanni Francesco | Albani (Umbrian) | Born at Urbino 1649 |
| Clement XII | 1730–40 | Lorenzo | Corsini (Florentine | Born 1652 |
| Clement XIII | 1758–69 | Carlo | della Torre Rezzonico | Born at Venice 1693 |
| Clement XIV | 1769–74 | Giovanni Vincenzo Antonio (Franciscan, named Fr Lorenzo |
Ganganelli | |
| Conon | 686–7 | Sicilian | ||
| Constantine | 767–8 | Syrian | ||
| [Constantine] | 708–15 | - | brother of Duke of Nepi | antipope, in opposition to Stephen III (IV) |
| Cornelius | 251–3 | - | Roman, possibly of gens cornelia | Canonized |
| Damasus I | 366–84 | 'son of Antonius'; Roman | Commissioned Vulgate from St Jerome; canonized. Born c. 305. | |
| Damasus II | 1048 | Poppo | German | Pope for 23 days |
| Deusdedit | 615-618 | 'son of Stephen' | (later Adeodatus I) Adeodatus is the passive equivalent of the active 'God-given' for 'God gave' | |
| Dionysius | 260–68 | Probably Greek | Canonized. Despite his name being that of a Roman deity, he kept it - unlike John II | |
| Dioscorus | 530 | Pope for 22 days | ||
| Donus | 676–8 | 'son of Maurice'; Roman | ||
| Eleutherius (Eleutherus) | c.174–89 | Canonized; reigned 15 yrs 3 months | ||
| Eugene/Eugenius I | 654–7 | 'son of Rufinianus'; (Roman) | Canonized | |
| Eugene/Eugenius II | 824–7 | Roman | ||
| Eugene/Eugenius III | 1145–53 | Bernardo | Pignatelli | Blessed, the rank in the canon below that of Saint. Born at Pisa in 1128. |
| Eugene/Eugenius IV | 1431–47 | Gabriele | Condulmaro (Venetian) | Born c.1383 |
| [Eulalius] | 418–19 | probably Greek | Antipope in opposition to St Boniface I; accepted imperial deposition. Died 423 | |
| Eusebius | 310 | Greek | Canonized | |
| Eutychian (Eutychianus) | 275–83 | 'son of Marinus' Tuscan | Canonized | |
| Evaristus | c.100–c.109 | ? Greek | Canonized, although "nothing is in fact reliably known about him" (Kelly & Walsh | |
| Fabian | 236–50 | Roman | Canonized | |
| Felix I | 269–74 | Eoman | Canonized. "Oone of the obscurest popes" (Kelly & Walsh 2010). | |
| [Felix II] | 355–65 | Roman | Antipope in opposition to Liberius; Emperor Constantius recognized them as co-bishops of Rome. | |
| Felix III (II) | 483–92 | Roman | Canonized. Numbered (III) because of antipope Felix II; properly II | |
| Felix IV (III) | 526–30 | Samnite (Italian) | Canonized | |
| [Felix V]] | 1439–49 | Amadeus | Duke of Savoy | Antipope in opposition to Eugene IV and Nicholas V, in favour of whom he abdicated Born Chambéry 1383; d. 1451. Last Antipope. |
| Formosus | 891–6 | Roman | ||
| Francis | 2013- | Jorge Maria | Bergoglio (Argentinian) | His current (2014) Holiness. |
| Gaius (Caius) | 283–96 | ? Dalmatian | "nothing is known about him or his activities" (Kelly & Walsh 20100. | |
| Gelasius I | 492–6 | Roman, of African descent | Canonized: "the outstanding pope of the 5th century" (Kelly & Walsh 2010). | |
| Gelasius II | 1118–19 | John | of Gaeta | |
| Gregory I | 590-604 | Roman | Canonized; Gregory the Great (Gregory Dialogus to the Orthodox Church). Born c.540. | |
| Gregory II | 715-731 | Roman | Canonized; born 669 | |
| Gregory III | 731–41 | Syrian | Canonized | |
| Gregory IV | 827–44 | Roman | ||
| Gregory V | 996–9 | Bruno | Nephew of Emperor Otto III | |
| Gregory VI | 1045–6 | John | Gratian (?related to Pierleoni family) | |
| [Gregory (VI)] | 1012 | Gregory: original and regnal name | Antipope: Crescenti candidate in opposition to Benedict VIII. Nothing is known about his antecedents. | |
| Gregory VII | 1073–85 | Hildebrand | Tuscan | Canonized: "Acknowledged generally as one of the greatest popes and most impressive figures of the medieval world" Kelly & Walsh 2010. Born c. 1020 |
| Gregory VIII | 1187 | Alberto | de Morra , Campania (Italy) | Born c. 1110 at Benevento, |
| [Gregory (VIII)] | 1118–21 | Maurice | Bourdin (French) | Antipope in opposition to Gelasius. Born Limoges |
| Gregory IX | 1227–41 | Ugo or Ugolino | Nephew of Innocent III; son of count of Segni | Born c.1170 |
| Gregory X | 1271–6 | Tedaldo | Visconti | Blessed, the rank in the canon below that of Saint. Nobly born c. 1210 at Piacenza |
| Gregory XI | 1370–78 | Pierre Roger | de Beaufort (French) | Born c. 1330 |
| Gregory XII | 1406–15 | Angelo | Correr; Venetian | Born c. 1325 |
| Gregory XIII | 1572–85 | Ugo | Boncompagni (Lombard) | Born at Bologna on 1 Jan. 1502 |
| Gregory XIV | 1590–91 | Niccolò | Sfondrati (Milanese) | Born 1535 |
| Gregory XV | 1621–3 | Alessandro | Ludovisi | Born at Bologna, 1554 |
| Gregory XVI | 1831–46 | Bartolomeo Alberto | Cappellari (Venetian) | Born 1765: monastic name Mauro |
| Hadrian I | 772–95 | Nephew of Theodosius; Roman | ||
| Hadrian II | 867–72 | Stephen IV & Sergius | ||
| Hadrian III | 884–5 | Roman; son of Benedict | Canonized, by popular acclaim alone. | |
| Hadrian IV | 1154–9 | Nicholas | Breakspear, son of Richard | Born c. 1100; the only English pope |
| Hadrian V | 1276 | Ottobono | Fieschi (Genoese) | Born c. 1205. Not a priest, nor consecrated as Pope |
| Hadrian VI | 1522–3 | Adrian Florensz | Dedal (or Boeyens) (Dutch) | Last non-Italian Pope before John Paul II |
| Hilarus | 461–8 | son of Crispinus (Sardinian) | Canonized | |
| [Hippolytus] | 217–35 | Greek-speaking | The first Antipope, in opposition to Callistus I, Urban I and Pontian. Later Canonized | |
| Honorius I | 625–38 | son of Petronius (Campanian) | ||
| Honorius II | 1124–30 | Lamberto | Scannabecchi (Bolognese) | |
| [Honorius (II)] | 1061–4' | Peter | Cadalus (German descent) | Antipope in opposition to Alexander II. Born 1009/10 |
| Honorius III | 1216–27 | Censio | Savelli | |
| Honorius IV | 1285–7 | Giacomo | Savelli (Roman); grand-nephew of Honorius III | Born 1210 |
| Hormisdas | 514–23 | son of Eustace (Italian) | Canonized | |
| Hyginus | c.138–c.142 | Greek | Canonized | |
| Innocent I | 401–17 | son of Anastasius I or another Innocent | Canonized. "The first [modern] Pope" | |
| Innocent II | 1130–43 | Gregorio | Roman: (family name, Papareschi, later - from 'papa' | In schism with Anacletus II. |
| Innocent III | 1198–1216 | Lotario | son of count of Segni | Born 1160/61 |
| [Innocent (III)] | 1179–80 | Lando | Lombard | Antipope in opposition to Alexander III. |
| Innocent IV | 1243–54 | Sinibaldo | Fieschi (Genoese) | son of Count Hugo of Lavagna |
| Innocent V | 1276 | Pierre | 'of Tarentaise' (French) | Blessed, the rank in the canon below that of Saint. Born c. 1224, |
| Innocent VI | 1352–62 | Étienne | Aubert (French) | |
| Innocent VII | 1404–6 | Cosimo Gentile | de' Migliorati | Born c. 1336 at Sulmona, in the Abruzzi, |
| Innocent VIII | 1484–92 | Giovanni Battista | Cibò. | Son of a Roman, born at Genoa 1432 |
| Innocent IX | 1591 | Giovanni Antonio | Fachinetti (Bolognese) | Born 1519 at Bologna |
| Innocent X | 1644–55 | Giambattista | Pamphili (Roman) | Born 1574. His portrait by Velásquez was an inspiration to Francis Bacon's 'Screaming Popes' paintings. |
| Innocent XI | 1676–89 | Benedetto | Odescalchi | Blessed, the rank in the canon below that of Saint. Born at Como on 19 May 1611 |
| Innocent XII | 1691–1700 | Antonio | Pignatelli | Born in Naples 1615, |
| Innocent XIII | 1721–4 | Michelangelo | dei Conti | Son of duke of Poli; born there 1655 |
| |
Apocryphal | See further Pope Joan. Never existed. | ||
| John I | 523–6 | (Tuscan ?) | Canonized. | |
| John II | 533–5 | Mercurius | 1st Pope to adopt a regnal name. | |
| John III | 561–74 | Son of Anastasius (Roman) | ||
| John IV | 640–42 | Son of Venantius (Dalmatian) | ||
| John V | 685–6 | Son of Cyriacus (Syrian) | ||
| John VI | 701–5 | Greek | "Nothing is known of his background" Kelly & Walsh 2010 | |
| John VII | 705–7 | Greek by birth. Son of Plato (Byzantine official) | ||
| [John] | 844 | Roman | Antipope in opposition to Sergius | |
| John VIII | 872–82 | Roman; son of Gundo | ||
| John IX | 898–900 | Italian | ||
| John X | 914–28 | Born in Romagna | Deposed; died 929 | |
| John XI | 931–5/6 | Roman | ||
| John XII | 955–64 | Octavian | Bastard son of Alberic (c.905–54), prince of Rome. Born c. 937 | |
| John XIII | 965–72 | Son of John Episcopus (Roman) | ||
| John XIV | 983–4 | Peter | Canepanova (Pavian) | Not elected; imposed by Emperor Otto II (973–83) |
| John XV | 985–96 | Roman; son of Leo (a priest) | ||
| [John XVI] | 997–8 | John | Philagathos (Greek born in Italy | Antipope in opposition to Gregory V. Died 1001, mutilated and captive |
| John XVII | 1003 | John | Sicco, son of John (Roman) | |
| John XVIII | 1003–9 | John | Fasanus ('Cock'), son of Ursus (Roman) | Perhaps abdicated, 1009 |
| John XIX | 1024–32 | Romanus | Tusculan brother of Benedict VIII | |
| [John XX: no pope so styled held office] | Numbering from John XXI probably results from the several popes called John in 10th & 11th centuries | |||
| John XXI | 1276–7 | Pedro | Julião (better known as Peter of Spain); Portuguese | Born (son of a doctor) 1210/20 |
| John XXII | 1316–34 | Jacques | Duèse (French) | Born at Cahors c. 1244 |
| [John (XXIII)] | 1410–15 | Baldassare | Cossa (Neapolitan) | Antipope in opposition to Gregory XII & Benedict XIII. Abdicated 1415; died 1419 |
| John XXIII | 1958–63 | Angelo Giuseppe | Roncalli (Italian) | Blessed, the rank in the canon below that of Saint. Born 1881 |
| John Paul I | 1978 | Albino | Luciani (Italian) | Born 1912, "God's candidate": 1st working-class pope since early years. Reigned just over a month. |
| John Paul II | 1978–2005 | Karol | Wojtyla (Polish) | 1st non-Italian (1st Slav) pope since Hadrian VI (1522) |
| Julius I | 337–52 | Roman | Canonized | |
| Julius II | 1503–13 | Giuliano | della Rovere (Italian) | Born 1443. Il Terribile: warlike and temporal. Michelangelo's patron. |
| Julius III | 1550–55 | Giovanni Maria | Ciocchi del Monte (Roman) | Born 1487. Patron of Michelangelo, Palestrina and the Jesuits. |
| Lando | 913–14 | son of Taino (Lombard) | Reigned, 6 months 11 days. "Nothing is known " (Kelly & Walsh 2010) | |
| [Lawrence]/Laurentius | 498/9; 501–6 | Roman | Antipope in opposition to Symmachus. | |
| Leo I | 440–61 | Born late 4th C. in Rome ? of Tuscan parentage | Canonized: Leo 'the Great' | |
| Leo II | 682–3 | Sicilian | Canonized. | |
| Leo III | 795–816 | Roman | Canonized; crowned Charlemagne Emperor 800. | |
| Leo IV | 847–55 | 'son of Radoald'; Roman, of Lombard extraction | Canonized | |
| Leo V | 903 | Latian | Deposed & jailed by Christopher, with whom he was murdered. | |
| Leo VI | 928 | 'Son of Christopher'; Roman | ||
| Leo VII | 936–9 | Roman | Patron of St Odo of Cluny | |
| Leo VIII | 963–5 | Leo | son of John | In conflict with John XIII and Benedict V |
| Leo IX | 1049–54 | Bruno | Son of Count of Egisheim | Nominated by emperor Henry III (1039–56); Canonized. |
| Leo X | 1513–21 | Giovanni | de' Medici; son of Lorenzo the Magnificent | Born 1475. His extravagance, + building St Peter's, led to sale of indulgences, and helped spark the Reformation. |
| Leo XI | 1605 | Alessandro Ottaviano | de' Medici | Born 1535. Devout Pope supporting Tridentine reforms |
| Leo XII | 1823–9 | Annibale Sermattei | della Genga (Umbrian) | Born 1760 |
| Leo XIII | 1878–1903 | Gioacchino Vincenzo | Pecci | Born 1810 |
| Liberius | 352–66 | Roman | ||
| Linus | c.66–c.78 | Tuscan | Canonized. First Pope after St Peter, | |
| Lucius I | 253–4 | Roman | Canonized; though banished, probably not martyred. | |
| Lucius II | 1144–5 | Gherardo | Caccianemici (Lombard | |
| Lucius III | 1181-5 | Ubaldo | Allucingoli (Tuscan). | Born c. 1110 at Lucca, |
This list is continued at Popes (alphabetical list - M-Z).
"Alphabetical List of Popes and Antipopes (names of antipopes in italics)" The Oxford Dictionary of Popes. by J. N. D. Kelly. Oxford University Press Inc. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. University of Hull. 18 June 2010 <http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t99.e1046>
