Below is a list of all of the popes who reigned during the sixth century. The first number is which pope they were. This is followed by their chosen name, the starting and ending dates of their reigns, and finally the number of years they were pope. Follow the links to read short biographies of each pope and learn about what they did, what they believed, and what impact they had on the course of the Roman Catholic Church.
51. St. Symmachus:
November 22, 498 - July 19, 514 (15 years)
A convert from paganism, Symmachus was elected largely because of the support of those who disliked the actions of his predecessor, Anastasius II. It was not, however, a unanimous election.
52. St. Hormisdas:
July 20, 514 - August 6, 523 (9 years)
Hormisdas is known for his Libellus Hormisidae, a formula of faith sent to a synod at Constantinople which was attempting to resolve the Monophysite heresy. This formula re-affirmed the teachings of the Council of Calcedon (451) that Christ had both a Divine and a Human Nature, "hypostatically" united in one person...
53. St. John I:
August 13, 523 - May 18, 526 (2 years, 9 months)
Pope John I was the first pope to leave Italy and travel East to Constantinople - but he did not do so willingly. He was forced to make the trip Theodoric, the Gothic King.
54. St. Felix IV (III):
July 12, 526 - September 22, 530 (4 years)
Technically Felix was only the third pope to carry the name Felix; however, there had been an earlier antipope who had adopted the name Felix II in 355 and for a while he remained on the lists of official popes. Thus, this Felix has always been numbered as Felix IV.
55. Boniface II:
September 22, 530 - October 17, 532 (2 years)
Boniface II was the first German to ever be elected to the papacy, and that was due largely to the influence of the Gothic king Athalaric.
56. John II:
January 3, 533- May 8, 535 (2 years)
Pope John II seems to have been the first pope since Peter to have undergone a name change - although there is some possibility that earlier popes with Greek names may have changed their names as part of a tradition.
57. St. Agapetus I (Agapitus):
May 13, 535 - April 22, 536 (11 months)
Son of Gordianus, a Roman priest killed during riots in the days of Pope Symmachus by supporters of antipope Lawrence, Agapitus I was from the very beginning embroiled in serious political conflicts with emperor Justinian in Constantinople.
58. St. Silverius:
June 8, 536 - November 11, 537 (1 year)
Pope Silverius, a legitimate son of Pope Hormisdas, did not have an easy reign. He was not the favorite choice of Empress Theodora in Constantinople and he refused to resign quietly.
59. Vigilius:
March 29, 537 - June 7, 555 (18 years)
Pope Vigilius is widely considered one of lowest points in the papacy. He appears to have designed his entire career around the goal of becoming pople - something he nearly achieved when Pope Boniface II chose him to be his successor.
60. Pelagius I:
April 16, 556 - March 3, 561 (4 years)
Pelagius I had a rather poor start to the papacy - he had been jailed by emperor Justinian as part of an effort to undermine Pope Vigilius and after Vigilius died, Pelagius was sent to Rome as the emperor's candidate of choice.
61. John III:
July 17, 561 - July 13, 574 (12 years)
Although John III reigned for a fairly long time, not much is known about his pontificate. He was only the second pope to change his name upon election (with the first being John II, coincidentally enough) and appears to have spent much of his time trying to deal with the invasion of Italy by Lombard forces.
62. Benedict I:
June 2, 575 - July 30, 579 (4 years)
Pope Benedict I reigned during a time when the Lombards were attacking papal lands and Rome itself from the north.
63. Pelagius II:
November 26, 579 - February 7, 590 (10 years)
During the reign Pelagius II, the Lombards were threatening to take control of the papal lands. The Byzantine emperor was not very helpful, so Pelagius II asked for and received help from the Christian Franks who invaded Italy, but they left again after being bribed by the Lombards.
64. St. Gregory I (the Great):
September 3, 590 - March 12, 604 (13 years, 6 months)
Pope Gregory I (590 - 604) was the right man in the right place at the right time. Previously a government official who had sold all of his property in order to become a Benedictine monk, he was elected pope after the death of Pelagius II. Pelagious had gone to great effort to deal with problems like plague, hunger, floods, and advancing Lombard armies.
