Maifreda da Pirovano was proclaimed pope by the people gathered in Milan cathedral on April 10th 1300, during Easter. Maifreda was the cousin of Matteo I Visconti (the head of the State of Milan at that time) and she was proclaimed Pope by the citizens in opposition to Pope Boniface VIII. Infact, Milaneses people judged illegitimate the election of pope Bonifacio VIII, which occurred after the great refusal of Pope Celestine V. They thought that pope Celestino V was forced to renounce to the papacy by Bonifacio VIII and that the election of Bonifacio was rated by a number of few cardinals, not enought to elect a pope. On 1300 was usual to see a pope and an anti-pope in the catholic church, a pope Vs another pope. Only the history decided who won and became the pope and who lost and became the anti-pope. It was really usual, but not so usual to see a man pope against a woman pope.
Unlike the story of the woman Pope Joan, Maifreda became pope just as a woman and not pretending to be a man. Pope Giovanna (Joan) is mentioned in folktales disclosed at the time of Saint Chiara, probably to stem and stop the growing phenomenon of the affirmation of women in the Catholic Church. If Pope Joan is a legend with a substance of truth, Pope Maifreda was an historical pope recorded and notarized by the tribunal of the Holy Inquisition.
About the election of pope Maifreda
- At those times, 1300, it was fully legal in the catholic church that a pope was elected by popular proclamation.
- Maifreda was elected as a woman and not as a man: people that proclamed her pope knew she was a woman and they were sure of her identity and female sex.
- At that time, in the catholic church, there wasn't a specific canon law that forbid to elect a woman pope instead of a man. Nobody thought to prevent it. So this election is fully valid under a formal profile, not only for the guglielmita church, but also for the whole catholic church.
- This election of Maifreda was officially recorded in many documents of the Holy Inquisition. At those times the Holy Inquisition was a terrible legal tribunal of the Holy See. Nowadays the Holy Inquisition has changed its name inside the Holy See. So, the election of Maifreda was recorded by the Holy See on April 19th 1300.
- The documents regarding this woman pope election are in a Library in Milano.
- In any case, Maifreda can be considered a pope of the whole Roman catholic church or the pope of the part of the catholic church scismatic respect to pope Boniface VIII.
- Infact, at the moment she became pope, her church was automatically divided from the church of pope Boniface VIII.
- On April 19th 1300, nine days later her public proclamation as pope, the Holy Inquisition Tribunal took her and legally recorded and notarized everything with many witness. (see "I quattro quaderni delle imbreviature" by notary Beltramo Salvagno, 1300-1302)
- So, the terrible tribunal of the Holy Inquisition recorded her election as pope against her, but in this way her enemies legalized on 1300 that woman pope election, giving the legal bases of her legitimity as pope of the whole roman catholic church.
