The Legend of Pope Joan: In Search of the Truth [Hardcover]

Peter Stanford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 1999

A quest for the truth behind one of history's most perplexing mysteries. The story of Pope Joan, an English woman who disguised herself as a man and became pope in the middle of the ninth century, has seized people's imagination for over a thousand years. Despite dismissals of the tale as an improbable--indeed, impossible--historical fantasy, the leg persists. Is the tale nothing more than folklore invented by Protestant propagandists determined to undermine the authority of the papacy? Or did Joan really exist, deceiving the authorities and becoming pope? As the controversy over women in the Catholic priesthood continues and the Church--which, until the Reformation, took the story of Pope Joan as gospel--dispels rumors that will not be quashed, it is time to look beyond the fantasy for facts. In this wide-ranging investigative account, which reaches from secret histories to conspiracy theories, medieval carvings to tarot cards, transvestite saints to a tale about a pope giving birth in the street, Peter Stanford delivers a major piece of historical detective work that may convince even the staunchest of skeptics.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

According to a persistent legend, around A.D. 1100 a young English woman named Joan disguised herself as a man and was elected as pope. Pope Joan reigned for about two years until, as the story goes, she died after giving birth to a child. Stanford marshals the thin historical substantiation behind this legend in his attempt to ferret out its truth. He comes up with intriguing facts, including the present-day existence of a strange-looking chair designed to view the papal genitals, thought to have been introduced after the Joan episode to prevent it from happening again. Ultimately Stanford opts for a qualified acceptance of the story's truth: "Weighing all this evidence, I am convinced that Pope Joan was an historical figure, though perhaps not all the details about her that have been passed down through the centuries are true.... [S]he achieved the papacy at a time when the office was hopelessly debased and corrupt, [and] was moderately successful, but... her triumph was short-lived." Stanford's masterful presentation of the historical evidence makes this the definitive study of an amazing legend that has been a source of fascination for centuries.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

British journalist Stanford (The Devil, LJ 9/15/96) engagingly relates the legend of the English woman who, disguised as a man, was elected pope in 853 and deposed or killed in 855 when her gender became known, perhaps because she gave birth. Stanford's careful research finds much support for the basic historicity of this widespread myth. He recounts his journeys to find manuscripts telling of a pope between the reigns of Leo IV and Benedict III and discusses the possibility that Protestants altered manuscripts by inserting Joan in order to discredit the papacy. Stanford discovers visual art depicting women functioning as celebrants of the Eucharist, as well as references to statues of Pope Joan, stories of her burial, and a seat new popes sat on to have their ownership of testicles verified. Carefully researched and of broad interest; recommended for general and specialized collections.?Carolyn M. Craft, Longwood Coll., Farmville, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.; First Edition edition (January 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805039104
• ISBN-13: 978-0805039108
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #952,557 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Journalistic Look at History, October 1, 2001

By 

Ricky Hunter (New York City, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Legend of Pope Joan: In Search of the Truth (Paperback)

The Legend of Pope Joan (In Search of the Truth) by Peter Stanford was a little difficult to enjoy at first as I was expecting more of a standard history book. Instead this book is actually more about the journalist's, the author, own personal search for the truth behind the stories of Pope Joan, rather than Pope Joan herself, although she is there in plenty. This is more than just an ego project though (although it certainly has moments of that) and it is an interesting and different way of making this book stand out from the various other Pope Joan books in existence and actually drawing the reader closer and personally into the legend. The author is certainly thorough in his research, extending it often beyond the middle ages, such as his riveting interview with a woman in Czechoslovakia who was ordained as a priest as a way of getting around Communist restrictions against the Catholic Church. There will be more than enough history to please the history buffs but the story, mainly due to the style of the author, will be a joy for anyone to indulge a couple of hours soaking into this unusual legend of this remarkable, possibly real, woman. It is history as journalism by way of a detective story.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Believer's Look at History, November 30, 2002

By 

Timothy Haugh (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Legend of Pope Joan: In Search of the Truth (Paperback)

I became aware of the legend of Pope Joan a number of years ago upon reading Donna Woolfolk Cross's novel Pope Joan. Since then, I've come across mentions of the legend in a number of places, including some interesting papal histories. However, I had never looked into the story seriously so I decided to read a few books. One of the first I came across was this one by Peter Stanford.

I was reasonably pleased with this book. Stanford appears to have done some serious research into the historical sources of the story of the female pope. In addition, he has relates a number of interviews with important historians both inside and outside the Vatican. Most importantly, the book is quite easy to read as he tells it more as the story of his personal search for the truth as opposed to a dry history.

This, however, is also the source of the book's main weakness. Stanford is clearly prejudiced before he even begins his search. Clearly, he believes there was such a person as Pope Joan and he is merely looking for pieces of information to back up his position. Granted, he is honest enough to admit that there is absolutely no way a definitive answer to this question will ever come but this cannot cover his strong belief that there was such a person.

I, myself, believe it is highly likely a person like Joan lived at some time in papal history but Stanford's faith is distracting. Still, he is quite thorough and makes a number of good points both pro and con. For someone interested in the subject, this book is a worthwhile read.

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Geraldo Does the Papacy!, April 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Legend of Pope Joan: In Search of the Truth (Hardcover)

The legend of Pope Joan is worth a good book. Was there a female pope and, if so, how could she have deceived all the people at least some of the time? If she is a legend, why did the legend start and why did it persist for so long? Stanford's not the man for this. He's another self-absorbed 20th century reporter type who keeps inserting himself into the story and talking down to the reader. Sometimes I thought I was reading his resume's account of his journalistic & research abilities. One of these abilities is not reflection, which is notably absent in this book. What is present is a wishful pushing of his arguments, which hurts his case more than helps it. As the Kirkus reviewer notes, he turns suppositions into facts. Disappointing book.