Prompt Cast
The Legend of Pope Joan: A Female Pope in Disguise
TLDR The story of Pope Joan, a woman who disguised herself as a man and became Pope in the Middle Ages, has been debunked by historians. There is no contemporary evidence for her existence and the stories that do exist are inconsistent and appeared centuries after the fact.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
There is a legend of a woman named Pope Joan who was believed to have been a Pope in the Middle Ages.
01:41
Pope Joan disguised herself as a man, became a priest, and eventually became Pope, but her true identity was discovered when she gave birth during a procession in Rome.
03:01
The story of Pope Joan, a female pope who disguised herself as a man and gave birth during a procession, was first mentioned in a book written by a Dominican friar in the 13th century.
04:31
John Anglicus, who was claimed to be a female pope, taught in Rome and became pregnant during her papacy, giving birth during a procession from St. Peter's to the Lateran.
05:52
The story of Pope Joan spread throughout the Renaissance with little resistance, but eventually the church declared it false, and historians have debunked the legend.
07:13
There are no contemporary written references or coins minted for a female pope, and opponents of the church in the 9th and 10th centuries never brought up Pope John, suggesting that the story is likely a legend.
08:29
There is no contemporary evidence for the existence of a female pope in the Middle Ages, and the stories that do exist are inconsistent and appeared centuries after the fact.
