Popes (chronological List - to 1000)

Chronological List of Popes (and Antipopes), after Kelly & Walsh 2010. There is very little evidence - and some accretion of legend - about the earliest Popes. This list is being split into two, for technical reasons. This page contains the Popes of the first millennium; the list for the others is at Popes (chronological List - 1000 to now). (You may want to note that there has never been a Pope Joan.)

You may find it more helpful to consult the alphabetical list of Popes. That too has been split, into Popes (alphabetical list A-L) and Popes (alphabetical list - M-Z).

Regnal dates	Papal name	original name	family	notes
to 64	Peter	Simon Peter	Bar-Jonah	The Disciple Saint Peter
c.66–c.78	Linus		Tuscan	Canonized.
c.79–c.91	Anacletus			Canonized; perhaps a (?former) slave In the first lists, counted as first Pope: Peter was special
c.91–c.101	Clement I			Canonized. Perhaps the 'Clement' mentioned in NT (Philippians 4:3).
c.100–c.109	Evaristus		? Greek	Canonized, although "nothing is in fact reliably known abou
c.109–c.116	Alexander I		'son of Alexander'	Canonized; reputed a martyr
c.116–c.125	Sixtus I	Xystus	'Son of Pastor'; Roman, prob of Greek extraction	Canonized (possibly mythical: Sixtus may be because he was Pope #6
c.125–c.136	Telesphorus		Greek	Martyr; Canonized
c.138–c.142	Hyginus		Greek	Canonized
c.142–c.155	Pius I		'Son of Rufinus' (Italian from Aquileia)	Canonized. Probably born a slave
c.155–c.166	Anicetus		Syrian	Canonized
c.166–c.174	Soter		Southern Italian	Canonized
c.174–89	Eleutherius (Eleutherus)			Canonized; reigned 15 yrs 3 months
189–98	Victor I		African by birth; 1st Latin pope	Canonized
198/9–217	Zephyrinus		'Son of Habundius'; Roman	Canonized
217–22	Callistus (Calixtus) I		Roman (from Trastevere)	Canonized; a former slave and convict
217–35	[Hippolytus]		Greek-speaking	The first Antipope, in opposition to Callistus I, Urban I and Pontian. Later Canonized
222–30	Urban I		'Son of Pontianus'; (Roman)	Canonized
230–35	Pontian		'Son of Calpurnius'; Roman.	Canonized, martyred. 1st pope to abdicate, to allow a successor before his deportation
235–6	Anterus		? Greek	Canonized
236–50	Fabian		Roman	Canonized
251–3	Cornelius	-	Roman, possibly of gens cornelia	Canonized
251–8)	[Novatian]		?Roman	Antipope in opposition to Cornelius. Born c. 200; "founder of Roman theology."
253–4	Lucius I		Roman	Canonized; though banished, probably not martyred.
254–7	Stephen I		Roman; of the gens Julia	Canonized
257–8	Sixtus II	Xystus	Of Greek extraction; in Spain before Rome	Canonized
260–68	Dionysius		Probably Greek	Canonized. Despite his name being that of a Roman deity, he kept it - unlike John II
269–74	Felix I		Eoman	Canonized. "Oone of the obscurest popes" (Kelly & Walsh 2010).
275–83	Eutychian (Eutychianus)		'son of Marinus' Tuscan	Canonized
283–96	Gaius (Caius)		? Dalmatian	"nothing is known about him or his activities" (Kelly & Walsh 20100.
296–?304	Marcellinus			Canonized, although apostasized during Diocletian persecution. D. 304
[?]306–[?]8	Marcellus I			Canonized.
310	Eusebius		Greek	Canonized
311–14	Miltiades (Melchiades)		? Roman
314–35	Silvester I	'Son of Rufinus' (?Roman)	Canonized
336	Mark		'Son of Priscus'; Roman	Canonized
337–52	Julius I		Roman	Canonized
352–66	Liberius		Roman
355–65	[Felix II]		Roman	Antipope in opposition to Liberius; Emperor Constantius recognized them as co-bishops of Rome.
366–84	Damasus I		'son of Antonius'; Roman	Commissioned Vulgate from St Jerome; canonized. Born c. 305.
366–7	[Ursinus]			Antipope (successor to antipope Felix II; in opposition to Liberius and Damasus I
384–99	Siricius		Roman	Canonized
399–401	Anastasius I		(Roman by birth)	Canonized
401–17	Innocent I		son of Anastasius I or another Innocent	Canonized. "The first [modern] Pope"
417–18	Zosimus		Canonized. Son of Abraham; Greek, possibly of Jewish descent
418–22	Boniface I	'son of Iocundus'	Roman by birth	Canonized
418–19	[Eulalius]		probably Greek	Antipope in opposition to St Boniface I; accepted imperial deposition. Died 423
422–32	Celestine I	son of Priscus	Italian (Campagna)	Canonized
432–40	Sixtus (Xystus) III	Xystus	Son of Xystus, Roman	Canonized. Opponent of Pelagius
440–61	Leo I		Born late 4th C. in Rome ? of Tuscan parentage	Canonized: Leo 'the Great'
461–8	Hilarus		son of Crispinus (Sardinian)	Canonized
468–83	Simplicius	'Son of Castinus'; born at Tivoli		Canonized
483–92	Felix III (II)		Roman	Canonized. Numbered (III) because of antipope Felix II; properly II
492–6	Gelasius I		Roman, of African descent	Canonized: "the outstanding pope of the 5th century" (Kelly & Walsh 2010).
496–8	Anastasius II	'son of Peter'	Roman by birth
498–514	Symmachus		Sardinian	Canonized
498/9; 501–6	[Lawrence]/Laurentius		Roman	Antipope in opposition to Symmachus.
514–23	Hormisdas		son of Eustace (Italian)	Canonized
523–6	John I		(Tuscan ?)	Canonized.
526–30	Felix IV (III)		Samnite (Italian)	Canonized
530–32	Boniface II	'son of Sigibuld	Germanic, although born in Rome
530	Dioscorus			Pope for 22 days
533–5	John II	Mercurius		1st Pope to adopt a regnal name.
535–6	Agapitus I (Agapetus)		'son of Gordianus'	Canonized
536–7	Silverius		Son of Hormisdas (of Frosinone)	Canonized. Deposed 537 by Vigilius; died later that year
537–55	Vigilius		Roman
556–61	Pelagius I	Roman
561–74	John III		Son of Anastasius (Roman)
575–579	Benedict I		'Son of Boniface'
579–90	Pelagius II		Son of Unigild (Goth)	Born in Rome. D, there of plague 590
590-604	Gregory I		Roman	Canonized; Gregory the Great (Gregory Dialogus to the Orthodox Church). Born c.540.
604–6	Sabinian(us)			Tuscan
607	Boniface III	Roman-born, possibly of Greek family
608–15	Boniface IV		Born in Aquila (Italy)	Canonized
615-618	Deusdedit		'son of Stephen'	(later Adeodatus I) Adeodatus is the passive equivalent of the active 'God-given' for 'God gave'
619–25	Boniface V	'son of John'	Naples
625–38	Honorius I		son of Petronius (Campanian)
640	Severinus		Son of Avienus; Roman	Reigned only two months
640–42	John IV		Son of Venantius (Dalmatian)
642–9	Theodore I		Greek; b. at Jerusalem
649–53	Martin I			Canonized; the last Pope venerated as a martyr (for his opposition to monothelitism
654–7	Eugene/Eugenius I		'son of Rufinianus'; (Roman)	Canonized
657–72	Vitalian		Son of Anastasius (Roman)	Canonized
672–6		Adeodatus II	'son of Jovinianus'
676–8	Donus		'son of Maurice'; Roman
678–81	Agatho		(Sicilian)	Canonized
682–3	Leo II		Sicilian	Canonized.
684–5	Benedict II		'Roman by birth'	Canonized (see Saint Benedict
685–6	John V		Son of Cyriacus (Syrian)
686–7	Conon		Sicilian
687	[Theodore]			(?) Antipope; never consecrated; ceded to Sergius
687	[Paschal]			Antipope in opposition to Thedore & Sergius. D. 692, imprisoned.
687–701	Sergius I			Canonized. Born in Sicily, of a Syrian family
701–5	John VI		Greek	"Nothing is known of his background" Kelly & Walsh 2010
705–7	John VII		Greek by birth. Son of Plato (Byzantine official)
708	Sisinnius		Syrian; son of a John	Nothing is known of his background
767–8	Constantine		Syrian
715-731	Gregory II		Roman	Canonized; born 669
731–41	Gregory III		Syrian	Canonized
741–52	Zacharias		South Italian/Greek	Canonized. Born c. 679. The last of the Greek popes.
752	Stephen (II)	Stephen	Roman	Died (stroke) 4 days after election; never consecrated. Not now recognized as a Pope: hence dual numbering after him.
752–7	Stephen II (III)		Roman	Effectively the founder of the Papal State
757–67	Paul I		Roman	Canonized. Elected after his brother Stephen II (III).
708–15	[Constantine]	-	brother of Duke of Nepi	antipope, in opposition to Stephen III (IV)
768	[Philip]			Antipope in opposition to Christopher. 'Pope' for 1 day; "innocent tool...he should in all fairness be reckoned as neither a pope nor an antipope" (Kelly & Walsh 2010)
768–72	Stephen III (IV)		Sicilian
772–95	Hadrian I		Nephew of Theodosius; Roman
795–816	Leo III		Roman	Canonized; crowned Charlemagne Emperor 800.
816–17	Stephen IV (V)		Roman
817–824	Paschal I		Roman	Canonized, although not seemingly worthy
824–7	Eugene/Eugenius II		Roman
827	Valentine	'Son of Leontius '	Roman (of the Via Lata)	Reigned 40 days, od so
827–44	Gregory IV		Roman
844	[John]		Roman	Antipope in opposition to Sergius
844–7	Sergius II		Roman (relative of Stephen IV (V)
847–55	Leo IV		'son of Radoald'; Roman, of Lombard extraction	Canonized
855–8	Benedict III		Roman
855	[Anastasius Bibliothecarius]		'nephew of Arsenius' (d. 868)	Antipope in opposition to Benedict III
858–67	Nicholas I		son of Theodore	Canonized. Born in Rome c. 820. Sometimes 'the Great'
867–72	Hadrian II		Stephen IV & Sergius
872–82	John VIII		Roman; son of Gundo
882–4	Marinus I Sometimes mis-labelled Martin II		'son of a priest'; Tuscan
884–5	Hadrian III		Roman; son of Benedict	Canonized, by popular acclaim alone.
885–91	Stephen V (VI)		Roman
891–6	Formosus		Roman
896	Boniface VI		'son of Bishop Hadrian'	Died after fifteen days
896–7	Stephen VI (VII)		'Son of John'; Roman
897	Romanus		'Son of Constantine' (Roman)	Ruled 4 months; confined to monastery thereafter
897	Theodore II		'Son of Photius'; Roman	Reigned 20 days
898–900	John IX		Italian
900–03	Benedict IV	'son of Mammolus'	Roman
903	Leo V		Latian	Deposed & jailed by Christopher, with whom he was murdered.
903–4	[Christopher]			Antipope, in opposition to Leo V (above), whom he jailed. Jailed & murdered with Leo by Sergius III
904–11	Sergius III		'son of Benedict' (Roman)
911–13	Anastasius III	'son of Lucian'	Roman by birth	Little evidence survives
913–14	Lando		son of Taino (Lombard)	Reigned, 6 months 11 days. "Nothing is known " (Kelly & Walsh 2010)
914–28	John X		Born in Romagna	Deposed; died 929
928	Leo VI		'Son of Christopher'; Roman
928–31	Stephen VII (VIII)		Son of Teudemundus (?German); Roman
931–5/6	John XI		Roman
936–9	Leo VII		Roman	Patron of St Odo of Cluny
939–42	Stephen VIII (IX)		Roman
942–6	Marinus II S.t. mis-labelled Martin III		Roman	Protege of Prince Alberic of Rome
946–55	Agapitus II (Agapetus)			Nothing is known of his origins
955–64	John XII	Octavian	Bastard son of Alberic (c.905–54), prince of Rome. Born c. 937
963–5	Leo VIII	Leo	son of John	In conflict with John XIII and Benedict V
964	Benedict V		Roman	Victim of politics: elected 22 May; deposed 23 June 964
965–72	John XIII		Son of John Episcopus (Roman)
973–4	Benedict VI	'son of Hildebrand'	Roman	Deposed, imprisoned and strangled by Boniface VII
974; 1st attempt	[Boniface VII]	Franco	son of Ferrucius	Antipope, Crescentii candidate vs Benedict VI
974–83	Benedict VII	'son of David'	Roman; connected to Crescentii	aristocrat
984–5; 2nd attempt	[Boniface VII]	Franco	son of Ferrucius	Antipope, Crescentii candidate vs John XIV
983–4	John XIV	Peter	Canepanova (Pavian)	Not elected; imposed by Emperor Otto II (973–83). Imprisoned, deposed & murdered by Boniface VII
985–96	John XV		Roman; son of Leo (a priest)
996–9	Gregory V	Bruno	Nephew of Emperor Otto III
997–8	[John XVI]	John	Philagathos (Greek born in Italy	Antipope in opposition to Gregory V. Died 1001, mutilated and captive
999–1003	Silvester II This entry appears also in the list for the 2nd millennium	Gerbert		Born c. 945 in Auvergne

This chronological list of Popes is continued at Popes (chronological List - 1000 to now).

This list has been constructed largely on the basis of the "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>