List of popes by country
From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
This page is a list of popes by country of origin. They are listed in chronological order within each section.
As the office of pope has existed for almost two millennia, many of the countries of origin of popes no longer exist, and so they are grouped under their modern equivalents.
Contents
Overview
There have been 266 popes, of which:
- 217 from Italy
- 16 from France (Pope Sylvester II, Pope Stephen IX, Pope Nicholas II, Pope Urban II, Pope Callistus II, Pope Urban IV, Pope Clement IV, Pope Innocent V, Pope Martin IV, Pope Clement V, Pope John XXII, Pope Benedict XII, Pope Clement VI, Pope Innocent VI, Pope Urban V, and Pope Gregory XI)
- 6 from Germany (Pope Gregory V, Pope Clement II, Pope Damasus II, Pope Leo IX, Pope Victor II, and Pope Benedict XVI)
- 5 from the Byzantine Empire in modern-day Syria (Pope Anicetus, Pope John V, Pope Sisinnius, Pope Constantine, and Pope Gregory III)
- 4 from Greece (Pope Anacletus, Pope Hyginus, Pope Eleutherius, and Pope Sixtus II)
- 3 from the Holy Land in modern-day Israel (Pope Peter, Pope Evaristus, and Pope Theodore I)
- 3 from Africa Proconsularis[1] (Pope Victor I, Pope Miltiades, Pope Gelasius I)
- 2 from Dalmatia in modern-day Croatia (Pope Caius and Pope John IV)
- 2 from Valencia in modern-day Spain (Pope Callixtus III and Pope Alexander VI)
- 2 from Portugal (Pope Damasus I and Pope John XXI)
- 2 from Anatolia in modern-day Turkey (Pope Conon and Pope John VI)
- 1 from England (Pope Adrian IV)
- 1 from the Netherlands (Pope Adrian VI)
- 1 from Poland (Pope John Paul II)
- 1 from Argentina (Pope Francis)
Statistics table
| Nationality | Number of popes |
|---|---|
| Africa Province (Roman Empire) | 3 |
| Argentina | 1 |
| Asia Minor | 2 |
| Croatia (Kingdom of the Lombards) Dalmatia |
2 |
| England | 1 |
| Kingdom of France (medieval) French part of Holy Roman Empire |
16 |
| German part of Holy Roman Empire Modern Germany |
6 |
| Roman Greece Byzantine Greece |
4 |
| Italian Peninsula (see table below) | 217 |
| Roman Galilee Iudaea Province (Roman Empire) Byzantine Palestine |
3 |
| Dutch part of Holy Roman Empire | 1 |
| People's Republic of Poland | 1 |
| Lusitania (Roman Empire) Portugal |
2 |
| Roman Syria Byzantine Syria |
5 |
| Spain (Valencia in the Crown of Aragon) | 2 |
| Total | 266 |
Popes from the Roman and Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Italy
- Pope Pelagius I (556–561)
- Pope John III (561–574)
- Pope Pelagius II (579–590)
- Pope Gregory I (590–604)
- Pope Sabinian (604–606)
- Pope Boniface III (607)
- Pope Boniface IV (608–615)
- Pope Adeodatus I (615–618)
- Pope Boniface V (619–625)
- Pope Honorius I (625–638)
- Pope Severinus (636–640)
- Pope Martin I (649–653)
- Pope Eugene I (654–657)
- Pope Vitalian (657–672)
- Pope Adeodatus II (672–676)
- Pope Donus (676–678)
- Pope Agatho (678–681)
- Pope Leo II (682–683)
- Pope Benedict I (575–579)
- Pope Benedict II (684–685)
- Pope Sergius I (687–701)
- Pope Gregory II (715–731)
- Pope Zachary (741–752)
- Pope Stephen III (768–772)
- Pope Stephen II (752–757)
- Pope Stephen IV (816–817)
Byzantine Sicily
- Pope Conon (686–687)
Greece
- Pope Telesphorus (126–137)
- Pope Hyginus (c. 138 – c. 140)
- Pope Eleuterus (174/175–189)
- Pope Anterus (235–236)
- Pope Sixtus II (257–258)
- Pope Dionysius (259–268)
- Pope Zosimus (417–418)
- Pope John VI (701–705)
- Pope John VII (705–707)
Lusitania Province
Lusitania corresponds to present-day Portugal.
- Pope Damasus I (366–384)
Roman Africa
These popes are from the Roman province of Africa, which corresponds to the coastal parts of Tunisia, Libya and Algeria.
- Pope Victor I (189–199)
- Pope Miltiades (311–314)
- Pope Gelasius I (492–496)
Roman and Byzantine Syria
- Pope Anicetus (c. 154–167)
- Pope John V (685–686)
- Pope Sisinnius (708)
- Pope Constantine (708–715)
- Pope Gregory III (731–741)
Roman Dalmatia
Dalmatia was at the time part of the Roman and Byzantine Empires. It is now part of the modern Republic of Croatia.
- Pope Caius (283–296)
- Pope John IV (640–642)
Roman Galilee and Iudaea Province
- Saint Peter (c. 30 – c. 67); a native of Bethsaida, in the modern Golan Heights
- Pope Evaristus (c. 99 – c. 107); a native of Bethlehem, in the modern West Bank
- Pope Theodore I (642–649); a native of Jerusalem
Roman Italy
- Pope Linus (64/67(?)–76/79 (?))
- Pope Anacletus (76/79(?)–88)
- Pope Clement I (88/92–97/101)
- Pope Alexander I (c.106–c.115)
- Pope Sixtus I (117/119(?)–126/128(?)
- Pope Pius I (c. 140 – c. 154)
- Pope Soter (c. 166 – 174/175)
- Pope Zephyrinus (199–217)
- Pope Callixtus I (c. 217 – 222)
- Pope Pontian (230–235)
- Pope Urban I (222–230)
- Pope Fabian (236–250)
- Pope Cornelius (251–253)
- Pope Lucius I (253–254)
- Pope Stephen I (254–257)
- Pope Felix I (269–274)
- Pope Marcellinus (296–304?)
- Pope Marcellus I (308–309)
- Pope Sylvester I (314–335)
- Pope Mark (336)
- Pope Julius I (337–352)
- Pope Liberius (352–366)
- Pope Siricius (384–399)
- Pope Anastasius I (399–401)
- Pope Innocent I (401–417)
- Pope Boniface I (418–422)
- Pope Celestine I (422–432)
- Pope Sixtus III (432–440)
- Pope Leo I (440–461)
- Pope Hilarius (461–468)
- Pope Simplicius (468–483)
- Pope Felix III (483–492)
- Pope Anastasius II (396–398)
- Pope Symmachus (498–514)
- Pope Silverius (536–537)
Roman Sardinia
- Pope Eusebius (309/310)
- Pope John V (685–686)
- Pope Sisinnius (708)
- Pope Constantine (708–715)
- Pope Gregory III (731–741)
Popes by nationality
The concept of nationality only arose during the Middle Ages.
Argentina
- Pope Francis (2013–present)
England
England is part of the modern United Kingdom.
- Pope Adrian IV (1154–1159)
France
French is the most common non-Italian papal ancestry. Seventeen popes have had French ancestry, all in the second half of the medieval era. The seven popes of the Avignon Papacy were French and are bolded. Since the end of the Avignon Papacy, no French person has been elected pope.
Kingdom of France (medieval)
- Pope Silvester II (999–1003): Gerbert of Aurillac
- Pope Urban II (1088–1099): Otho of Lagery (or Otto or Odo)
- Pope Urban IV (1261–1264): Jacques Pantaléon
- Pope Clement IV (1265–1268): Guy Foulques
- Pope Martin IV (1281–1285): Simon de Brie
- Pope Clement V (1305–1314): Bertrand de Got
- Pope John XXII (1316–1334): Jacques d'Euse
- Pope Benedict XII (1334–1342): Jacques Fournier
- Pope Clement VI (1342–1352): Pierre Roger
- Pope Innocent VI (1352–1362): Stephen Aubert
- Pope Urban V (1362–1370): Guillaume de Grimoard
- Pope Gregory XI (1370–1378): Pierre Roger de Beaufort
Holy Roman Empire
- Pope Stephen IX (1057–1058) (Duchy of Lorraine): Frederick of Lorraine
- Pope Nicholas II (1059–1061) (Kingdom of Burgundy): Gerard of Burgundy
- Pope Callixtus II (1119–1124) (County of Burgundy): Guido of Vienne
- Pope Innocent V (1276) (Kingdom of Arles): Pierre de Tarentaise
Germany
Holy Roman Empire
- Pope Gregory V (996–999) (Duchy of Saxony)
- Pope Clement II (1046–1047) (Duchy of Saxony)
- Pope Damasus II (1048) (Duchy of Bavaria)
- Pope Leo IX (1049–1054) (Alsace, Duchy of Swabia): Bruno, Count of Dagsburg
- Pope Victor II (1055–1057) (Duchy of Swabia)
Federal Republic of Germany
- Pope Benedict XVI (2005–2013)
Italian peninsula
Ostrogothic Kingdom
- Pope Hormisdas (514–523)
- Pope John I (523–526)
- Pope Felix IV (526–530)
- Pope Boniface II (530–532)
- Pope John II (533–535)
- Pope Agapetus I (535–536)
- Pope Vigilius (537–555)
Papal States
Italy in the Holy Roman Empire
- Pope John XIV (983–984)
- Pope Alexander II (1061–1073)
- Pope Urban III (1185–1187)
Republic of Genoa
- Pope Innocent IV (1243–1254)
- Pope Adrian V (1276)
- Pope Innocent VII (1404–1406)
Republic of Venice
- Pope Gregory XII (1406–1415)
- Pope Eugene IV (1431–1447)
- Pope Alexander VIII (1689–1691)
Republic of Florence/Duchy of Florence/Grand Duchy of Tuscany
- Pope Eutychian (275–283)
- Pope Leo X (1513–1521)
- Pope Clement VII (1523–1534)
- Pope Clement VIII (1592–1605)
- Pope Leo XI (1605)
- Pope Urban VIII (1623–1644)
- Pope Clement XII (1730–1740)
Kingdom of Italy (modern) and Italian Republic
- Pope Pius X (1903–1914)
- Pope Benedict XV (1914–1922)
- Pope Pius XI (1922–1939)
- Pope Pius XII (1939–1958)
- Pope John XXIII (1958–1963)
- Pope Paul VI (1963–1978)
- Pope John Paul I (1978)
Netherlands
Holy Roman Empire
- Pope Adrian VI (1522–1523) (Bishopric of Utrecht)
Poland
- Pope John Paul II (1978–2005)
Portugal
- Pope John XXI (1276–1277) (Kingdom of Portugal)
Spain
Valencia
The Kingdom of Valencia was then part of the possessions of the Crown of Aragon; it is now part of modern Spain.
- Pope Callixtus III (1455–1458)
- Pope Alexander VI (1492–1503)
Bibliography
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- The Incredible Book of Vatican Facts and Papal Curiosities – a treasury of trivia, Gramercy Books, New York, 1998 ISBN 0-517-22083-0
References
External links
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at The Guardian
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. * The list of popes is based on the following bibliography:
- "Crónica de los Papas": of P.G. Maxwell Stuart,
- "Vatican facts": of Nino Lo Bello,
- "Saints and Sinners": of historian Eamon Duffy
- Liber Pontificalis
