Episode 96: Pope Joan

Episode 96: Pope Joan

From Ask a Medievalist by Ask a Medievalist

October 27, 2025 · 1h 16m · Season 6 · Episode 96

About this episode

The episode explores the legend of Pope Joan, a rumored female pope, and the historical context surrounding this tale.

Summary Starting in the middle ages, a rumor spread of a female pope, elected because of her incredible learning, who went undiscovered until she gave birth to a child. At which point, everyone lost their minds. Join Em and Dr. Jesse to learn about the veracity of this tale and the wacky test it (allegedly) engendered. (Ha.) Notes Our sources: Thomas F.X. Noble, “Why Pope Joan?” Catholic Historical Review 99.2 (April 2013) 219–238. Eamon Duffy, Saints and Sinners: A History of Popes . Yale University Press, 2002. 1/ Jean de Mailly , 13th century Dominican chronicler in Metz, makes the first extant mention of Pope Joan in his Chronicle “Diocese of Metz” ( Chronica universalis Mettensis ) in 1255. Etienne de Bourbon (also Dominican) adds to Mailly’s account a few years later in On the Seven Gifts of the Spirit. Dominican Martinus Polonus (Martin Strebsky) writes down the version we all know between 1265–1277 in Chronicle of the Roman Popes and Emperors 2/ “A means of adding verisimilitude to an otherwise bald and unconvincing narrative.” From The Mikado by Gilbert and Sullivan. 3/ The description of this (definitely fake) ritual is in…

People in this episode

Host: Em

Guest: Dr. Jesse

Topics covered

  • Pope Joan
  • female pope
  • medieval history
  • historical rumors
  • gender and religion
  • myth vs. reality

Keywords

  • Pope Joan
  • female pope
  • medieval history
  • historical accuracy
  • gender roles
  • Catholic Church
  • mythology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Catholic Historical Review, The Straight Dope

Books & works: Why Pope Joan?, Saints and Sinners: A History of Popes, Chronica universalis Mettensis, The Mikado, On the Seven Gifts of the Spirit, Chronicle of the Roman Popes and Emperors

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