. At times between the 3rd and mid-15th century, antipopes were typically those supported by a fairly significant faction of religious
s and kingdoms. Persons who claim to be the Pope but have few followers, such as the modern
s, are not generally classified as antipopes, and therefore are ignored for regnal numbering.
Saint Hippolytus (d. 235) is commonly considered to be the earliest antipope, as he protested against
and headed a separate group within the Church in Rome. Hippolytus was later reconciled to Callixtus's second successor,
, when both were condemned to the mines on the island of Sardinia. He has been canonized by the Church. Whether two or more persons have been confused in this account of Hippolytus, and whether Hippolytus actually declared himself to be the Bishop of Rome, remains unclear, especially since no such claim has been cited in the writings attributed to him.
quotes from an unnamed earlier writer the story of a Natalius who accepted the bishopric of a heretical group at Rome, but who soon repented and tearfully begged
(Pope from 199 to 217) to receive him into communion. If Natalius claimed to be Bishop of Rome rather than only of a small group in the city, he could be considered an antipope earlier than Hippolytus and indeed the first antipope.
(d. 258), another
, and if Natalius and Hippolytus were excluded because of the uncertainties concerning them, Novatian could then be said to be the first antipope.
The period in which antipopes were most numerous was during the struggles between the popes and the
s of the 11th and 12th centuries. The emperors frequently imposed their own nominees to further their own causes. The popes, likewise, sometimes sponsored rival imperial claimants (
as Pope—led to two, and eventually three, rival lines of claimants to the papacy: the Roman line, the
line. The last-mentioned line was named after the town of Pisa, Italy, where the council that elected Alexander V as a third claimant was held. To end the schism, in May 1415, the
of the Pisan line, whose claim to legitimacy was based on a council's choice.
of the Roman line resigned in July 1415. In 1417, the Council also formally deposed
of the Avignon line, but he refused to resign. Afterwards,
was elected and was accepted everywhere except in the small and rapidly diminishing area that remained faithful to Benedict XIII. The scandal of the Great Schism created anti-papal sentiment, and fed into the
| Pontificate |
Common English name |
Regnal (Latin) name |
Personal name |
Place of birth |
Age at Election / Death or Resigned |
# years as Antipope |
Notes |
In opposition to |
| c. 200 |
Natalius |
Natalius |
|
|
|
|
later reconciled (see above) |
ZephyrinusPope Saint Zephyrinus, born in Rome, was bishop of Rome from 199 to 217. His predecessor was bishop Victor I. Upon his death on December 20, 217, he was succeeded by his principal advisor, bishop Callixtus I.-Papacy:...
|
| 217–235 |
Saint Hippolytus |
Hippolytus |
|
|
|
|
later reconciled with Pope PontianPope Pontian or Pontianus was Pope from 21 July 230 to 29 September 235.A little more is known of Pontian than his predecessors, apparently from a lost papal chronicle that was available to the compiler of the Liberian Catalogue of bishops of Rome, made in the fourth century.During his pontificate...
(see above) |
Callixtus IPope Saint Callixtus I or Callistus I was pope from about 217 to about 222, during the reigns of the Roman Emperors Elagabalus and Alexander Severus...
|
Urban IPope Saint Urban I was Pope from 14 October 222 to 230. He was born in Rome, Roman Empire and succeeded St. Callixtus I who had been martyred. For centuries it was believed that Urban too was martyred...
|
PontianPope Pontian or Pontianus was Pope from 21 July 230 to 29 September 235.A little more is known of Pontian than his predecessors, apparently from a lost papal chronicle that was available to the compiler of the Liberian Catalogue of bishops of Rome, made in the fourth century.During his pontificate...
|
| 251–258 |
Novatian Novatian was a scholar, priest, theologian and antipope who held the title between 251 and 258. According to Greek authors, pope Damasus I and Prudentius gave his name as Novatus....
|
Novatianus |
|
|
|
|
founder of Novatianism The Novatianists were early Christians following Antipope Novatian, held a strict view that refused readmission to communion of Lapsi, those baptized Christians who had denied their faith or performed the formalities of a ritual sacrifice to the pagan gods, under the pressures of the persecution...
|
CorneliusPope Saint Cornelius was pope from his election on 6 or 13 March 251 to his martyrdom in June 253.- Christian persecution :Emperor Decius, who ruled from 249 to 251 AD, persecuted Christians in the Roman Empire rather sporadically and locally, but starting January in the year 250, he ordered all...
|
Lucius IPope Saint Lucius I was Pope from June 25, 253 to March 5, 254.St. Lucius was born in Rome at an unknown date; nothing is known about his family except his father's name, Porphyrianus. He was elected probably on June 25, 253, and died on March 5, 254...
|
Stephen IPope Saint Stephen I served as Bishop of Rome from 12 May 254 to 2 August 257.Of Roman birth but of Greek ancestry, he became bishop of Rome in 254, having served as archdeacon of Pope Lucius I, who appointed Stephen his successor....
|
Sixtus IIPope Sixtus II or Pope Saint Sixtus II was Pope from August 30, 257 to August 6, 258. He died as a martyr during the persecution by Emperor Valerian....
|
| 355–365 |
Felix II Antipope Felix II was installed as Pope in 355 after the Emperor Constantius II banished the reigning Pope, Liberius, for refusing to subscribe the sentence of condemnation against Saint Athanasius. In May 357 the Roman laity, which had remained faithful to Liberius, demanded that Constantius, who...
|
Felix secundus |
|
|
|
|
installed by Roman EmperorThe Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Constantius IIConstantius II , was Roman Emperor from 337 to 361. The second son of Constantine I and Fausta, he ascended to the throne with his brothers Constantine II and Constans upon their father's death....
|
Liberius Pope Liberius, pope from May 17, 352, to September 24, 366, was consecrated according to the Catalogus Liberianus on May 22, as the successor of Pope Julius I. He was regarded as a saint in the early Church, but his name was later removed from the Roman Martyrology, however, he is once again...
|
| 366–367 |
Ursicinus Ursicinus, also known as Ursinus, was elected pope in a violently contested election in 366 as a rival to Pope Damasus I. He ruled in Rome for several months in 366 – 367, was afterwards declared an antipope, and died after 381....
|
Ursicinus |
Ursinus |
|
|
|
|
Damasus IPope Saint Damasus I was the bishop of Rome from 366 to 384.He was born around 305, probably near the city of Idanha-a-Velha , in what is present-day Portugal, then part of the Western Roman Empire...
|
| 418–419 |
Eulalius Antipope Eulalius was an antipope who reigned from December 418 to April 419, although elected the day before Pope Boniface I.At first the claims of Eulalius as the rightful Pope were recognized by the Emperor Honorius, who sent a letter dated 3 January 419 recognizing him and pardoning the...
|
Papa Eulalius |
|
|
|
|
|
Boniface IPope Saint Boniface I was pope from December 28, 418 to September 4, 422. He was a contemporary of Saint Augustine of Hippo, who dedicated to him some of his works....
|
498–499
501–506 |
Laurentius Laurentius was an antipope of the Roman Catholic Church, from 498 to 506.-Biography:Archpriest of Santa Prassede, Laurentius was elected pope on 22 November 498, in opposition to Symmachus, by a dissenting faction...
|
Papa Laurentius |
|
|
|
|
supported by Byzantine emperor Anastasius IAnastasius I was Byzantine Emperor from 491 to 518. During his reign the Roman eastern frontier underwent extensive re-fortification, including the construction of Dara, a stronghold intended to counter the Persian fortress of Nisibis....
|
SymmachusSaint Symmachus was pope from 498 to 514. His tenure was marked by a serious schism over who was legitimately elected pope by the citizens of Rome....
|
| 530 |
Dioscorus Dioscorus was a deacon of the Alexandrian and the Roman church from 506. In a disputed election following the death of Pope Felix IV, the majority of electors picked him to be Pope, in spite of Pope Felix's wishes that Boniface succeed him...
|
Papa Dioscurus |
|
|
|
|
|
Boniface IIPope Boniface II was pope from 530 to 532.He was by birth an Ostrogoth, the first Germanic pope, and he owed his appointment to the influence of the Gothic king Athalaric. Boniface was chosen by his predecessor, Pope Felix IV, who had been a strong adherent of the Arian king, and was never elected...
|
| 687 |
Theodore Theodore was a rival with Paschal for Pope following the death of Pope Conon , and thus is considered an antipope of the Roman Catholic Church.Prior to the disputed election, Theodore was an archpriest...
|
Papa Theodorus |
|
|
|
|
|
Sergius IPope Saint Sergius I was pope from 687 to 701. Selected to end a schism between Antipope Paschal and Antipope Theodore, Sergius I ended the last disputed sede vacante of the Byzantine Papacy....
|
| 687 |
Paschal (I) Paschal was a rival with Theodore for Pope following the death of Pope Conon , and thus is considered an antipope of the Roman Catholic Church.Prior to the disputed election, Paschal was an archdeacon...
|
Papa Paschalis |
|
|
|
|
|
| 767–768 |
Constantine II Antipope Constantine II was an antipope in 767 and 768.He was born in Nepi near Viterbo, a scion, along with his three brothers, of noble Roman family....
|
Papa Constantinus secundus |
|
|
|
|
|
Stephen IIIPope Stephen III was pope from August 1 or August 7, 768 to January 24, 772. He was a native of Sicily.He came to Rome during the pontificate of Gregory III and gradually rose to high office in the service of successive popes....
|
| 768 |
Philip Antipope Philip was pope for only one day . The subject of others' intrigues rather than active on his own account, he was a chaplain in a monastery at Rome. The sometime papal Chancellor, Christophorus, had sought Lombard help to depose Pope Constantine II, who was the candidate of the military...
|
Papa Philippus |
|
|
|
|
installed by envoy of Lombard King The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
DesideriusDesiderius was the last king of the Lombard Kingdom of northern Italy...
|
| 844 |
John VIII Antipope John VIII or Antipope John was an Antipope of the Roman Catholic Church, during the year of 844. On the death of Pope Gregory IV, the Archdeacon John was proclaimed Pope by popular acclamation, while the nobility elected Pope Sergius II, a Roman of noble birth. The opposition was...
|
Papa Joannes octavus |
|
|
|
|
elected by acclamation An acclamation, in its most common sense, is a form of election that does not use a ballot. "Acclamation" or "acclamatio" can also signify a kind of ritual greeting and expression of approval in certain social contexts in ancient Rome.-Voting:...
|
Sergius IIPope Sergius II was Pope from January 844 – January 24, 847.On the death of Gregory IV the archdeacon John was proclaimed pope by popular acclamation, while the nobility elected Sergius, a Roman of noble birth. The opposition was suppressed, with Sergius intervening to save John's life...
|
| 855 |
Anastasius III Bibliothecarius |
Papa Anastasius tertius |
|
|
|
|
|
Benedict IIIPope Benedict III was Pope from September 29, 855 to April 17, 858.Little is known of Benedict's life before his papacy. He was educated and lived in Rome and was cardinal priest of S. Callisto at the time of his election. Benedict had a reputation for learning and piety. He was elected upon the...
|
| 903–904 |
Christopher Christopher held the papacy from October 903 to January 904. Although he was listed as a legitimate Pope in most modern lists of Popes until the first half of the 20th century, the apparently uncanonical method by which he obtained the papacy led to his being removed from the quasi-official roster...
|
Papa Christophorus |
|
|
|
|
|
between Leo VPope Leo V, a native of Ardea, was Pope for some thirty days in 903 after the death of Pope Benedict IV . He was dethroned by antipope Christopher , who is sometimes considered a legitimate pope. Elected while a priest, Leo V's pontificate occurred in the darkest period of papal history...
and Sergius IIIPope Sergius III was a pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 29 January 904 to 14 April 911. Because Sergius III was possibly the only pope known to have ordered the murder of another pope and the only pope to have fathered an illegitimate son who later became pope , his reign has been described...
|
| 974 |
Boniface VII Antipope Boniface VII , was an antipope . He is supposed to have put Pope Benedict VI to death. A popular tumult compelled him to flee to Constantinople in 974; he carried off a vast treasure, and returned in 984 and removed Pope John XIV from office, who had been elected in his absence, by murder...
|
Papa Bonifacius septimus |
|
|
|
|
|
between Benedict VIPope Benedict VI was pope from January 19, 973 to June 974.He was born in Rome as the son of Hildebrand and was chosen with great ceremony and installed as pope under the protection of the Emperor Otto I on January 19, 973. During his pontificate, Benedict VI confirmed the privileges of some of...
and Benedict VIIPope Benedict VII, born in Rome, the son of David or Deodatus , and previously Bishop of Sutri, died July 10, 983; belonged to the noble family of the Counts of Tusculum. He was elected by the Roman clergy and people under the influence of Sicco, imperial envoy of Emperor Otto II...
|
| 984–985 |
between John XIVPope John XIV was Pope from December, 983 to August 20, 984, successor to Pope Benedict VII He was born at Pavia, and before his elevation to the papal chair was imperial chancellor of Emperor Otto II , and was the latter's second choice.His original name was Pietro Canepanova, but he took the...
and John XVPope John XV , Pope from 985 to 996, succeeding Boniface VII . He was said to have been Pope after another Pope John that reigned four months after Pope John XIV and was named "Papa Ioannes XIV Bis" or "Pope John XIVb"...
|
| 997–998 |
John XVI John XVI , born , , was an antipope from 997 to 998.-Life:He was born of Greek descent and was a native of Rossano in Calabria, southern Italy. At the time the region was a territory of the Byzantine Empire and John was the chaplain of Theophanu, the Empress consort of Emperor Otto II , who had...
|
Papa Joannes sextus decimus |
John Filagatto |
|
|
|
supported by Byzantine emperor Basil IIBasil II , known in his time as Basil the Porphyrogenitus and Basil the Young to distinguish him from his ancestor Basil I the Macedonian, was a Byzantine emperor from the Macedonian dynasty who reigned from 10 January 976 to 15 December 1025.The first part of his long reign was dominated...
|
Gregory VPope Gregory V, né Bruno of Carinthia , Pope from May 3, 996 to February 18, 999, son of the Salian Otto I, Duke of Carinthia, who was a grandson of the Emperor Otto I the Great . Gregory V succeeded Pope John XV , when only twenty-four years of age...
|
| 1012 |
Gregory VI On the death of Pope Sergius IV in June, 1012, "a certain Gregory" opposed the party of the Theophylae , and got himself made Pope, seemingly by a small faction...
|
Papa Gregorius sextus |
|
|
|
|
|
Benedict VIIIPope Benedict VIII , born Theophylactus, Pope from 1012 to 1024, of the noble family of the counts of Tusculum , descended from Theophylact, Count of Tusculum like his predecessor Pope Benedict VI .Benedict VIII was opposed by an antipope, Gregory...
|
| 1058–1059 |
Benedict X Pope/Antipope Benedict X , was born John Mincius, and later became Cardinal Bishop of Velletri. He was elected in 1058, his election having been arranged by the Count of Tusculum. However, a number of Cardinals alleged that the election was irregular, and that votes had been bought; these cardinals...
|
Papa Benedictus decimus |
John Mincius |
|
|
|
supported by the Counts of Tusculum The counts of Tusculum were the most powerful secular noblemen in Latium, near Rome, in the present-day Italy between the 10th and 12th centuries. Several popes and an antipope during the 11th century came from their ranks. They created and perfected the political formula of noble-papacy, wherein...
|
Nicholas IIPope Nicholas II , born Gérard de Bourgogne, Pope from 1059 to July 1061, was at the time of his election the Bishop of Florence.-Antipope Benedict X:...
|
| 1061–1064 |
Honorius II Honorius II , born Pietro Cadalus, was an antipope from 1061 to 1072. He was born at Verona and became bishop of Parma in 1046. He died at Parma in 1072....
|
Papa Honorius secundus |
Pietro Cadalus |
|
|
|
supported by Agnes Agnes of Poitou, Agnes of Aquitaine or Empress Agnes was Holy Roman Empress and regent of the Holy Roman Empire from 1056 to 1062.-Family:...
, regent of the Holy Roman Empire |
Alexander IIPope Alexander II , born Anselmo da Baggio, was Pope from 1061 to 1073.He was born in Milan. As bishop of Lucca he had been an energetic coadjutor with Hildebrand of Sovana in endeavouring to suppress simony, and to enforce the celibacy of the clergy...
|
| 1080, 1084–1100 |
Clement IIIGuibert or Wibert of Ravenna was a cleric made antipope in 1080 due to perceived abuses of Pope Gregory VII during the Investiture Controversy, a title that lasted to his death....
|
Papa Clemens tertius |
Guibert of Ravenna |
|
|
|
supported by Henry IV, Holy Roman EmperorHenry IV was King of the Romans from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until his forced abdication in 1105. He was the third emperor of the Salian dynasty and one of the most powerful and important figures of the 11th century...
|
Gregory VII Pope St. Gregory VII , born Hildebrand of Sovana , was Pope from April 22, 1073, until his death. One of the great reforming popes, he is perhaps best known for the part he played in the Investiture Controversy, his dispute with Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor affirming the primacy of the papal...
|
Victor IIIPope Blessed Victor III , born Daufer , Latinised Dauferius, was the Pope as the successor of Pope Gregory VII, yet his pontificate is far less impressive in history than his time as Desiderius, the great Abbot of Monte Cassino.-Early life and abbacy:He was born in 1026 or 1027 of a non-regnant...
|
Urban II Pope Urban II , born Otho de Lagery , was Pope from 12 March 1088 until his death on July 29 1099...
|
Paschal IIPope Paschal II , born Ranierius, was Pope from August 13, 1099, until his death. A monk of the Cluniac order, he was created cardinal priest of the Titulus S...
|
| 1100–1101 |
Theodoric Theodoric was an antipope in 1100 and 1101.Antipope Clement III died on September 8, 1100. His followers in Rome met secretly at night in St. Peter's Basilica, where they elected and enthroned Cardinal Teodorico, the Bishop of Albano, who then went by the name of Theodoric...
|
Papa Theodoricus |
|
|
|
|
successor to Clement IIIGuibert or Wibert of Ravenna was a cleric made antipope in 1080 due to perceived abuses of Pope Gregory VII during the Investiture Controversy, a title that lasted to his death....
|
Paschal IIPope Paschal II , born Ranierius, was Pope from August 13, 1099, until his death. A monk of the Cluniac order, he was created cardinal priest of the Titulus S...
|
| 1101 |
Adalbert or Albert Adalbert or Albert or Aleric was an Italian cardinal and suburbicarian bishop of Santa Rufina elected as antipope in January 1101 by the imperial party in Rome following the arrest and imprisonment of Antipope Theodoric....
|
Papa Adalbertus |
|
|
|
|
successor to Theodoric Theodoric was an antipope in 1100 and 1101.Antipope Clement III died on September 8, 1100. His followers in Rome met secretly at night in St. Peter's Basilica, where they elected and enthroned Cardinal Teodorico, the Bishop of Albano, who then went by the name of Theodoric...
|
| 1105–1111 |
Sylvester IV Sylvester IV was a claimant to the papacy from 1105 to 1111.Members of the Roman aristocracy, with the support of the German king Henry V set up another antipope to replace Pope Paschal II , electing Maginulfo, the Archpriest of St. Angelo in Peschiera, while Paschal II was outside of Rome...
|
Papa Sylvester quartus |
Maginulf |
|
|
|
supported by Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor Henry V was King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor , the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. Henry's reign coincided with the final phase of the great Investiture Controversy, which had pitted pope against emperor...
|
| 1118–1121 |
Gregory VIII Gregory VIII , born Mauritius Burdinus , was antipope from 10 March 1118 until 22 April 1121.He was born in the Limousin, part of Aquitaine, Occitania, France. He was educated at Cluny, at Limoges, and in Castile, where he was a deacon at Toledo. In 1098/1099 his Cluniac connections recommended him...
|
Papa Gregorius octavus |
Maurice Burdanus |
|
|
|
Gelasius IIPope Gelasius II , born Giovanni Caetani , was pope from January 24, 1118 to January 29, 1119.-Biography:He was born between 1060 and 1064 at Gaeta into the Pisan branch of the Caetani family....
|
Callixtus IIPope Calixtus II , born Guy de Vienne, the fourth son of William I, Count of Burgundy , was elected Pope on February 1, 1119, after the death of Pope Gelasius II . His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controversy, which he was able to settle through the Concordat of Worms...
|
| 1124 |
Celestine II Celestine II was an antipope for one day, December 16, 1124. He was considered legitimate, but nonetheless submitted to the opposing pope, Honorius II....
|
Papa Cœlestinus secundus |
Thebaldus Buccapecus |
|
|
|
|
Honorius II Pope Honorius II , born Lamberto Scannabecchi, was pope from December 21, 1124, to February 13, 1130. Although from a humble background, his obvious intellect and outstanding abilities saw him promoted through the ecclesiastical hierarchy...
|
| 1130–1138 |
Anacletus II Anacletus II , born Pietro Pierleoni, was an Antipope who ruled from 1130 to his death, in a schism against the contested, hasty election of Pope Innocent II....
|
Papa Anacletus secundus |
Pietro Pierleoni |
|
|
|
|
Innocent IIPope Innocent II , born Gregorio Papareschi, was pope from 1130 to 1143, and was probably one of the clergy in personal attendance on the antipope Clement III .-Early years:...
|
| 1138 |
Victor IV Victor IV , antipope for a short time in 1138.He was born in Ceccano as Gregorio Conti. Pope Paschal II created him cardinal-priest of SS. XII Apostoli ca. 1102, but in 1112 deposed him and replaced in his title, because he had severely criticised Victor IV (died after April 1139), antipope for a...
|
Papa Victor quartus |
Gregorio Conti |
|
|
|
successor to Anacletus II Anacletus II , born Pietro Pierleoni, was an Antipope who ruled from 1130 to his death, in a schism against the contested, hasty election of Pope Innocent II....
|
| 1159–1164 |
Victor IV |
Papa Victor quartus |
Ottavio di Montecelio |
|
|
|
supported by Frederick I, Holy Roman EmperorFrederick I Barbarossa was a German Holy Roman Emperor. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1155, and finally crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV, on 18 June 1155, and two years later in 1157 the term...
|
Alexander IIIPope Alexander III , born Rolando of Siena, was Pope from 1159 to 1181. He is noted in history for laying the foundation stone for the Notre Dame de Paris.-Church career:...
|
| 1164–1168 |
Paschal III Antipope Paschal III was Antipope from 1164 to 20 September 1168.His real name was Guido of Crema. Paschal III was the second of the antipopes to challenge the reign of Pope Alexander III. In 1164, a small number of cardinals who had elected Victor IV met again to vote Paschal III as his successor...
|
Papa Paschalis tertius |
Guido di Crema |
|
|
|
| 1168–1178 |
Callixtus III Antipope Callixtus III or Callistus III was Antipope from September 1168 to 29 August 1178.His real name was Giovanni, Abbot of Struma...
|
Papa Callixtus tertius |
Giovanni of Struma |
|
|
|
| 1179–1180 |
Innocent III Innocent III was an antipope during 1179 to 1180.Innocent III sprang from a noble Lombard family. Opponents of Pope Alexander III tried to make him Pope in September 1179. Alexander, however, bribed his partisans to give him up, and imprisoned him in the cloister of La Cava in January...
|
Papa Innocentius tertius |
Lanzo of Sezza |
|
|
|
|
| 1328–1330 |
Nicholas V Nicholas V, born Pietro Rainalducci was an antipope in Italy from 12 May 1328 to 25 July 1330 during the pontificate of Pope John XXII at Avignon. He was the last Imperial antipope, that is, set up by a Holy Roman Emperor.-Life:Rainalducci was born at Corvaro, an ancient stronghold near Rieti in...
|
Papa Nicolaus quintus |
Pietro Rainalducci |
|
|
|
supported by Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the King of Germany from 1314, the King of Italy from 1327 and the Holy Roman Emperor from 1328....
|
John XXIIPope John XXII , born Jacques Duèze , was pope from 1316 to 1334. He was the second Pope of the Avignon Papacy , elected by a conclave in Lyon assembled by Philip V of France...
|
| 1378–1394 |
Clement VIIRobert of Geneva was elected to the papacy as Pope Clement VII by the French cardinals who opposed Urban VI, and was the first Avignon antipope of the Western Schism.-Biography:...
|
Papa Clemens septimus |
Robert of Geneva |
GenevaGeneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
|
36/52 |
15 y, 11 m, 27 d |
AvignonThe Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1376 during which seven Popes resided in Avignon, in modern-day France. This arose from the conflict between the Papacy and the French crown....
|
Urban VIPope Urban VI , born Bartolomeo Prignano, was Pope from 1378 to 1389.-Biography:Born in Itri, he was a devout monk and learned casuist, trained at Avignon. On March 21, 1364, he was consecrated Archbishop of Acerenza in the Kingdom of Naples...
|
Boniface IXPope Boniface IX , born Piero Tomacelli, was the second Roman Pope of the Western Schism from November 2, 1389, until October 1, 1404...
|
| 1394–1423 |
Benedict XIIIBenedict XIII, born Pedro Martínez de Luna y Pérez de Gotor , known as in Spanish, was an Aragonese nobleman, who is officially considered by the Catholic Church to be an antipope....
|
Papa Benedictus tertius decimus |
Pedro de Luna |
Illueca Illueca is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 3,396 inhabitants.Antipope Benedict XIII was born and later buried here....
, Aragon |
66/95 |
28 y, 7 m, 25 d |
AvignonThe Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1376 during which seven Popes resided in Avignon, in modern-day France. This arose from the conflict between the Papacy and the French crown....
|
Innocent VIIPope Innocent VII , born Cosimo de' Migliorati, was briefly Pope at Rome, from 1404 to his death, during the Western Schism while there was a rival Pope, antipope Benedict XIII , at Avignon.Migliorati was born to a simple family of Sulmona in the Abruzzi...
|
Gregory XIIPope Gregory XII , born Angelo Correr or Corraro, Pope from 1406 to 1415, succeeded Pope Innocent VII on 30 November 1406....
|
Martin VPope Martin V , born Odo Colonna, was Pope from 1417 to 1431. His election effectively ended the Western Schism .-Biography:...
|
| 1409–1410 |
Alexander V |
Papa Alexander quintus |
Pietro Philarghi |
|
|
|
Pisa The Council of Pisa was an unrecognized ecumenical council of the Catholic Church held in 1409 that attempted to end the Western Schism by deposing Benedict XIII and Gregory XII...
|
Gregory XIIPope Gregory XII , born Angelo Correr or Corraro, Pope from 1406 to 1415, succeeded Pope Innocent VII on 30 November 1406....
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| 1410–1415 |
John XXIIIBaldassarre Cossa was Pope John XXIII during the Western Schism. The Catholic Church regards him as an antipope.-Biography:...
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Papa Joannes vicesimus tertius |
Baldassare Cossa |
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Pisa The Council of Pisa was an unrecognized ecumenical council of the Catholic Church held in 1409 that attempted to end the Western Schism by deposing Benedict XIII and Gregory XII...
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| 1423–1429 |
Clement VIII Clement VIII was one of the antipopes of the Avignon line, reigning from 10 June 1423 to 26 July 1429. He was born between 1369–1370, as Gil Sanchez Muñoz y Carbón, and died on 28 December 1446....
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Papa Clemens octavus |
Gil Sánchez Muñoz |
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Martin VPope Martin V , born Odo Colonna, was Pope from 1417 to 1431. His election effectively ended the Western Schism .-Biography:...
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| 1424–1429 |
Benedict XIV Benedict XIV was the name used by two closely related minor antipopes of the 15th century. The first, Bernard Garnier became antipope in 1424 and died ca. 1429. The second, Jean Carrier, became antipope ca. 1430 and apparently left office, whether by death or resignation, by 1437.Neither of these...
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Papa Benedictus quartus decimus |
Bernard Garnier |
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| 1430–1437 |
Benedict XIV Benedict XIV was the name used by two closely related minor antipopes of the 15th century. The first, Bernard Garnier became antipope in 1424 and died ca. 1429. The second, Jean Carrier, became antipope ca. 1430 and apparently left office, whether by death or resignation, by 1437.Neither of these...
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Papa Benedictus quartus decimus |
Jean Carrier |
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Eugene IVPope Eugene IV , born Gabriele Condulmer, was pope from March 3, 1431, to his death.-Biography:He was born in Venice to a rich merchant family, a Correr on his mother's side. Condulmer entered the Order of Saint Augustine at the monastery of St. George in his native city...
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| 1439–1449 |
Felix V -External links:*...
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Papa Fœlix quintus |
Duke Amadeus VIII of Savoy |
ChambéryChambéry is a city in the department of Savoie, located in the Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France.It is the capital of the department and has been the historical capital of the Savoy region since the 13th century, when Amadeus V of Savoy made the city his seat of power.-Geography:Chambéry...
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elected by the Council of BaselThe Council of Florence was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It began in 1431 in Basel, Switzerland, and became known as the Council of Ferrara after its transfer to Ferrara was decreed by Pope Eugene IV, to convene in 1438...
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Nicholas VPope Nicholas V , born Tommaso Parentucelli, was Pope from March 6, 1447 to his death in 1455.-Biography:He was born at Sarzana, Liguria, where his father was a physician...
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does not include Natalius (perhaps because of the uncertainty of the evidence), nor
. It may be that the following of the latter was considered insufficiently significant, like that of "Benedict XIV", who is mentioned along with him in the Catholic Encyclopedia article on Pope Martin V.
As for Sylvester III, sometimes listed as an antipope, the Holy See's Annuario Pontificio classifies him as a pope, not an antipope. In line with its above-quoted remark on the obscurities about the canon law of the time and the historical facts, especially in the mid-11th century (see the second paragraph of this article), it makes no judgement regarding the legitimacy of his takeover of the position of pope in 1045. The Catholic Encyclopedia places him in its List of Popes, though with the annotation: "Considered by some to be an antipope". Until first years of 20th century, he was classified as an antipope, so
, calls the Last Pope "Sylvester III", not "Sylvester IV". Benson calls Sylvester's predecessor "John XXIV" and not "John XXIII" because, in 1907, Pisan Antipopes Alexander V and John XXIII were considered true popes.
As well as antipopes, in the historical sense of the term, there have been and are people who, with a very limited following, ranging from very few to some hundred, claim to be Pope.
s definition of "antipope": "one who opposes the legitimately elected Bishop of Rome, endeavours to secure the papal throne, and to some degree succeeds materially in the attempt." Except by their followers, whose number is minuscule, they are not regarded as serious claimants.
They are usually religious leaders of breakaway Roman Catholic groups that reject the commonly recognized popes (
groups). For this reason they are often called "sedevacantist antipopes". Claiming to have elected a pope in a "conclave" of perhaps half a dozen laypeople, as in the case of
, they hold that, because of their action, the See of Rome is no longer vacant, and that they are no longer sedevacantists (
, whom they revere as a martyr, and his predecessors as true popes, but hold, on the grounds of claimed apparitions, that the Pope of Rome is excommunicated and that the position of the
The following organised their elections by allegedly faithful Catholics, none of whom was a recognized
. The smallest such
was attended by only three electors; the largest is claimed to have comprised at least 62 electors. Examples are:
Antipopes have appeared as fictional characters. These may be either in
, as fictional portraits of well-known historical antipopes or in the guise of imaginary antipopes.