Pope John III

Reign: 561 – 574
Life: 520–574

Papacy Catelinus was elected to succeed Pelagius I and was consecrated as pope on 17 July 561. He took the name John on his accession to the papacy. John pontificate is characterized by two major events over which he had no control. The first was the death of Emperor Justinian I in 565, after which the Eastern Roman Empire turned its attention from Rome and the rest of Italy to pressing problems in the Balkans , from the Avars , Persians and the Arabs .

During Pope John III's reign, Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou ruled China, Emperor Kinmei ruled Japan, and Sophia ruled Rome.

Want to learn more? Further reading

Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy by John Julius Norwich

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The World During Their Reign

The most notable rulers who held power elsewhere at the same time, from European courts to Ottoman, Mughal, and Chinese thrones.

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Go deeper on Pope John III

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Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy

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