Conclave: Picking Popes

Gone Medieval

History Hit

History

4.6 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 6 May 2025

⏱️ 67 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Choosing a new Pope has always been a blend of the sacred, the political, and the downright theatrical. In the middle ages, the papal election was a high-stakes game, with powerful families and entire cities invested in the outcome and willing to pull strings to get their man into the job.

Dr. Eleanor Janega takes a look at the medieval origins of the process of deciding the next Pontiff. She is joined by Jessica Wärnberg to look into the origins of the papal conclave, explore its medieval twists and turns, and uncover the very human, sometimes bizarre, stories behind one of history’s most secretive and suspenseful elections.

Pope Joan: Sacred Scandal

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6f8OBBcJAjceSfr6vW6weX

The Rise of Christianity

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4OadirQmTlIrxRjUFYhrEJ

Gone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega. It was edited by Amy Haddow, the producers are Rob Weinberg and Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, I'm Matt Lewis.
0:02.6	And I'm Dr. Eleanor Yonaga.
0:04.2	And we're just popping up here to tell you some insider info.
0:08.0	If you would like to listen to Gone Medieval ad-free and get early access and bonus episodes,
0:13.3	sign up to History Hit.
0:14.5	With the History Hit subscription, you can also watch hundreds of hours of original documentaries.
0:20.6	Such as my new series on everyone's favorite
0:22.8	conquerors, the Normans, or my recent exploration of the castles that made Britain. There's a new
0:29.9	release to enjoy every week. Sign up now by visiting historyhit.com forward slash subscribe, or find a link in the show notes for this episode.
0:44.7	Hi, this is Jeremy Renner. I'm in the studio recording my memoir, my next breath.
0:54.1	I don't think any of us knows what's in store.
0:57.0	How could we?
0:58.2	Lying there newly as a man who had died, those choices and struggles I had been through,
1:02.7	came together to fuel my ability to not only come back from death,
1:05.9	but also bring back with me some cheat codes, some messages, some keys to life.
1:10.7	My Next Breath by Jeremy Renner, a story of life, death and all things learned in
1:16.0	between, now available in audiobook and hardback.
1:21.7	This episode is brought to you by Find My Past.
1:25.2	To commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day, FindMypast.com.uk are making the
1:31.1	1939 Register totally free to access. Find your relatives and delve deeper into life on the path
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	...

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