Year of three popes

Not to be confused with the Western Schism, which from 1409 to 1414 saw three simultaneous claimants to the Papacy.

A year of three popes is a year when the College of Cardinals of the Catholic Church is required to elect two new popes within the same calendar year, in particular the last instance in 1978. Such a year has historically occurred when a newly elected pope dies very early into his papacy. This results in the Catholic Church being led by three different popes during the same calendar year. In one instance, in 1276, there was a year of four popes.

Instances

There have been twelve instances in which exactly three popes have held office in a given calendar year.

• 827: Eugene II — Valentine — Gregory IV (Valentine was Pope for just 41 days when he died.)
• 896: Formosus — Boniface VI — Stephen VI (After a pontificate of fifteen days, Boniface is said by some to have died of the gout or been forcibly ejected)
• 897: Stephen VI — Romanus — Theodore II (Pontificate of Romanus ended when he was deposed and confined to a monastery.)
• 964: Leo VIII — Benedict V — John XIII (First Leo was overthrown, then Benedict himself was overthrown)
• 1003: Sylvester II — John XVII — John XVIII (John XVII died less than six months after taking office)
• 1045: Sylvester III — Benedict IX (second reign) — Gregory VI (Benedict resigned in exchange for money)
• 1187: Urban III — Gregory VIII — Clement III (Gregory VIII died after 57 days in office)
• 1503: Alexander VI — Pius III — Julius II (Pius III died after 26 days in office)
• 1555: Julius III — Marcellus II — Paul IV (Marcellus died after 22 days in office)
• 1590: Sixtus V — Urban VII — Gregory XIV (Urban died after 12 days in office, making him the shortest serving pope)
• 1605: Clement VIII — Leo XI — Paul V (Leo died after 27 days in office)
• 1978: Paul VI — John Paul I — John Paul II (John Paul I died after 33 days in office)

There was also a year in which the Roman Catholic Church was led by four popes, called the Year of Four Popes:

• 1276: Gregory X — Innocent V — Adrian V — John XXI (Innocent died after five months in office, then Adrian died after one month)

See also

• List of popes by length of reign
• Western Schism, which from 1409 to 1414 saw three simultaneous claimants to the Papacy
• Year of the Three Kings
• Year of the Three Emperors
• Year of three prime ministers