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 —
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 —
Gregory VIII —
Clement III (Gregory VIII died of fever after 57 days in office) • 1503:
Alexander VI —
Pius III —
Julius II (Pius III died of a septic
ulcer on his leg after 26 days in office) • 1555:
Julius III —
Marcellus II —
Paul IV (Marcellus died of a
stroke after 22 days in office) • 1590:
Sixtus V —
Urban VII —
Gregory XIV (Urban died of
malaria after 12 days in office, making him the shortest serving pope) • 1605:
Clement VIII —
Leo XI —
Paul V (Leo died of fever after 27 days in office) • 1978:
Paul VI —
John Paul I —
John Paul II (John Paul I died, likely from a heart attack, after 33 days in office) —
Innocent V —
Adrian V —
John XXI (Innocent died after five months in office, then Adrian died after one month) ==See also==