Adrian refused being elected pope twice before his actual pontificate, most likely because he was a married family man! 

In his episode, we discuss a surprise invasion of Rome, the somewhat resolution of the Lotharian divorce issue, courting the conversion of Buglars and Slavs, and the MOST perplexing murder. 

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"Few popes hold a more dominating place in the history of the Catholic Church than Nicholas I." So much so, that many church historians and scholars argue that he should be considered Pope Nicholas the Great! But does he hold up to Pope Leo and Gregory? We're going to decide once and for all! 

In his episode, we discuss Nicholas's many conflicts against the troublesome Archbishop John of Ravenna, the haughty Archbishop Hincmar of Rheims, the illegitimate Patriarch Photius of Constantinople, and most importantly, the divorce of Lothair II. 

It turns out he was the punchy ol' Saint Nicholas all along!

Audio note: Bry's working with a new microphone, there might be a warble or two. It's learning. 

Huge thanks to Ben of Fukushima Laser Shark for our jingle!

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During our exploration of the Frankish Papacy, Dr. Rutger Kramer has been our academic hero, providing access to sources, and inspiring thought-provoking discussions that resulted in much more informative episodes. So it only seemed right that we invite him on to the show, to provide his expertise!

In this episode, Bry and Rutger discuss the concepts of power, state, and church for both the Carolingians and the Papacy, the complicated dynamics of the Carolingian-Papal relationship, and critically evaluating our contemporary sources!

Find Rutger:

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For this special Christmas crossover, we joined up with Battle Royale to talk about important French Saints, in all their grisly glory! 

Check out Battle Royale: 

https://battleroyale.buzzsprout.com/1804279?s=09

https://twitter.com/BattleRoyalePod

Show description:

The most wonderful time of the year was made even more wonderful by our first ever guests, Bry and Fry of the Pontifacts podcast, who rate all of the popes from Peter to Francis. Complemented as ever by the splendid humour of Fry and Eliza, Bry and Ben recount the tales of the five patron saints of France who have been woven into our story so far: Saint Petronilla, Saint Denis, Saint Martin, Saint Remy and Saint Radegund. 

This is definitely not your average Christmas episode! We've got a guy carrying his own severed head, an emperor's butt being set on fire and a dove descending from the sky with a Molotov cocktail, just to name a few incidents. We also find out that not only could women read in the Dark Ages (shocker!), but one of them could even speak to frogs! How very French of her.

Pope Benedict was the actual pope to follow Leo IV, not Pope Joan! In his episode, we discuss a dramatic and confusing antipapacy, why his Liber Pontificalis entry is often missing, complicated consequences of the Iconoclasm, and... astral dew. 

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It's time to answer another important question – WHY Pope Joan?  If she didn’t exist, what purpose does the legend of Pope Joan serve?

In this episode, we discuss what Pope Joan represents about the church, popes, and women, and who she might have been created to attack. 

Note: In this episode, something went off-kilter with Bry's microphone! Please bear with us and our substandard audio quality. 

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The secret has been revealed, and now its time for the whole of the Pope Joan mythos!

In her episode, we discuss the origins of the legend, the arguments for and against her existence, possible 'hints' of Joan in art and architecture, and the ball touching chair - 'Testiculos habet, et bene pedentes!'

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Pope Johannes has a secret.

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Pope Leo may have been a 'despiser of the self', but there are plenty of reasons for us to like him! In his episode, we discuss the fortification of Rome and  Leonine City just in time for the Battle of Ostia, some very important disobedient clerics, a surprise Rexy appearance, and Raphael dicks. 

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Pope Sergius "Hog's Mouth" was the most pure boy, but also a grumpy gouty man who faces one of the greatest losses in church history. In his episode, we discuss why popes aren't called Peter, what happens when you contend with an antipope and the Constitutio Romanum at once, what happens when God "sends pagans to avenge what Christians fail to amend", what happens when you leave your treasures outside, and all the blame we should bestow upon his brother.

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