You’d think it would be simple. One guy dies, another guy gets elected, and someone writes it down in a notebook. But honestly, trying to find a definitive list popes in order is a bit of a historical headache.
It’s not just a tally of names. It is a 2,000-year-old game of political musical chairs.
If you head over to the Vatican’s official website or crack open the Annuario Pontificio, you’ll see a clean line starting with St. Peter and ending with Pope Francis. It looks polished. It looks certain. But if you look at the middle of that list—specifically around the 10th or 14th centuries—the "order" becomes a suggestion rather than a rule. We have periods where three different men claimed to be Pope at the exact same time. We have popes who were erased from history, and popes who never actually existed but still have a number next to their name.
The rough start: Peter to Miltiades
The early list is mostly guesswork. St. Peter is the obvious #1, usually dated from around 30 AD to 64 or 67 AD. But who came next? Most historians, following the lead of St. Irenaeus, say it was Linus. Then Anacletus. Then Clement.
There's a lot of "sorta" and "maybe" here.
The early Church was an underground movement. They weren't exactly keeping high-fidelity archival records while hiding in suburban Roman villas or dealing with Nero’s persecutions. Some early lists actually swap Anacletus and Clement. It wasn't until the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, under Pope Miltiades, that the papacy became a public, legally recognized office. Before that, being on the list was basically a death sentence.
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Why the numbering is totally broken
Have you ever noticed there is no Pope John XX? You’d assume someone just forgot how to count.
Basically, that's exactly what happened.
In the 13th century, a mistake in the transmission of the Liber Pontificalis (the Book of the Popes) led people to believe there was an extra John between John XIV and John XV. When the next John came along, he skipped a number to "correct" the record. He ended up being John XXI, leaving a permanent gap at XX.
And don't even get started on the Stephens.
There was a priest named Stephen elected in 752. He died three days later, before he could be "consecrated" as a bishop. For centuries, he was on the list. Then, in 1961, the Vatican decided he wasn't a real pope because he wasn't a bishop yet. They kicked him off. This bumped every subsequent Stephen down a notch. That’s why you’ll see some books list Pope Stephen II and others list him as Stephen II (III).
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It’s a mess.
The Great Western Schism: Three Popes, One Seat
If you want to see a list get really crowded, look at the years between 1378 and 1417. This is the era where the papacy lived in Avignon, France, for a while, then tried to move back to Rome.
The Cardinals got annoyed with the Roman Pope (Urban VI), so they elected a different one (Clement VII) and moved back to France. Now you have two. To fix it, a council met in Pisa, declared the first two guys fired, and elected a third guy.
The first two guys didn't quit.
For a few years, your list popes in order depends entirely on which king you were scared of or which country you lived in. Modern historians eventually decided the Roman line was the "real" one, labeling the others as "Antipopes." But at the time? It was anyone's guess.
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The heavy hitters you should actually know
While there are over 260 names, a few define the "order" more than others.
- Gregory the Great (590-604): He’s the guy who basically invented the medieval papacy. He sent missionaries to England and standardized the "Gregorian" chant.
- Leo X (1513-1521): A Medici. He liked art, parties, and selling indulgences. His spending habits were a big reason Martin Luther started the Reformation.
- Pius IX (1846-1878): The longest-reigning pope (after Peter). He lost the Papal States to the new Kingdom of Italy and declared Papal Infallibility.
- John Paul II (1978-2005): The first non-Italian in 455 years. He traveled more than almost every other pope combined.
How to use a list of popes today
If you are looking for a list of popes in order for research or just out of curiosity, you need to be careful with your sources. A Wikipedia list is okay for a quick glance, but for serious work, you want the Liber Pontificalis for the ancient stuff or the Annuario Pontificio for the modern "official" stance.
Keep in mind that the title "Pope" wasn't even exclusively used for the Bishop of Rome until the 11th century. Before that, a lot of bishops were called "papa."
Practical steps for the curious:
- Check for "Antipopes": When looking at a list, see if it includes names like Felix V or Christopher. If they aren't in italics or a separate section, your list isn't distinguishing between the winners and the losers of history.
- Watch the dates: The further back you go, the more the dates become "conjectural." If a list gives you an exact Tuesday in April for a pope in the year 200, it’s probably making it up.
- Look for the gaps: Sede Vacante periods (the time between popes) can last days or, in the case of the 1268-1271 election, nearly three years. If a list shows no gaps, it’s oversimplified.
History isn't a straight line. It’s a series of overlapping, messy stories. The list of popes is the spine of Western history, but even spines have a few displaced vertebrae.