News & Events

The summer began and ended with some really engaging and enjoyable interviews. The first was with the fantastic Eleanor Janega on the Cadaver Synod: Trial of a Dead Pope, an event that seems almost too bizarre to be true. The second spanned the entire history of papal power, from the Roman Empire to today. Links below! Gone Medieval: The Cadaver Synod Historia, jakiej nie znacie: Opisała prawdziwą historię Watykanu (also available on Youtube)  

My latest for History Today magazine explains how the popes became princes of states stretching across the Italian peninsula, and why the pope remains sovereign of the world’s smallest state today. Read it in the March issue or at https://www.historytoday.com/archive/feature/curbing-power-popes

I speak about the history of Renaissance Rome and its popes in all three episodes of this fantastic series, particularly episodes 2 and 3. All three are available on BBC IPlayer!

Popes, wine and power struggles - it doesn’t get much more exciting than this! I spoke to RTÉ 1 for The History Show- aired on the 26th May 2024 - about how the popes ended up in Avignon - rather than Rome - for decades during the mediaeval period. You can listen here: https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/the-history-show/2024/0526/1450737-the-history-show-sunday-26-may-2024/

At 7pm on 10th January, I shall be joining the Trouble Club to discuss the papacy, its history and its influence, on Rome and beyond. Do join us in person or online! https://www.thetroubleclub.com/events/lets-discussthe-pope-with-jessica-wrnberg

Recently, I had a fantastic time recording interviews with Dan Snow's History Hit, Pontifacts Podcast and Historically Thinking. We talked about the history of Rome and its popes, from Saint Peter to today, as well as the controversies, transformations, intrigues and clashes that have occurred along the way. The episodes are now out now on Spotify, Apple podcasts and other platforms, as well as via the links below. Dan Snow's History Hit: https://podcasts.apple.com/ee/podcast/dan-snows-history-hit/id1042631089 Pontifacts: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-72vjk-14a31ef Historically Thinking: https://historicallythinking.org/episode-333-city-of-echoes/ * *My sound seems to be jumpy and sped up during some parts of this episode - apologies!

City of Echoes is reviewed and discussed in this week's edition of the Economist! ‘…the book’s strength is its range, from St Peter in the first century all the way to Pope Francis today…Wärnberg is especially good on the early years, when Christianity and the papacy emerged under the shadow of a hostile imperial Rome…the story of how popes became leading actors is well told.' You can read the full article in the magazine and online here: https://www.economist.com/culture/2023/09/07/a-history-of-the-papacy-and-its-relationship-with-rome

In this week's Spectator, biographer and journalist Anne de Courcy reviewed my new book 'City of Echoes'. 'Jessica Wärnberg’s book tells not only the story of these popes but that of Rome, its people and the events that affected them...Just about everything is here, from the conversion of the Emperor Constantine in 312 to the declaration of the pope’s infallibility when speaking ex cathedra in 1870.' You can read the full review in this week's Spectator or online: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-perils-of-being-pope/

This month, I contributed to History Today's 'Head to Head' feature, weighing in on whether conspiracy theories have changed the course of history. My piece discussed the persistent theory that the popes have an international power that undermines the sovereignty and values of countries across the globe, from the states of 11th century Europe to the China of Xi Jingping. You can read it in the August edition of History Today and online: https://www.historytoday.com/archive/head-head/how-have-conspiracy-theories-changed-course-history

Rome is a city of echoes, where the voice of the people has chimed and clashed with the words of princes, emperors, and insurgents to ring down the centuries. In this new book, I tell the story of the Romans’ longest standing figurehead and interlocutor: the pope, illuminating how his presence has transformed the lives, stones, and fate of the city of Rome.   CITY OF ECHOES: A NEW HISTORY OF ROME, ITS POPES AND ITS PEOPLE will be published by Icon (UK) and Pegasus (USA) in September 2023. Emerging as the anonymous leader of a marginal cult in the humblest quarters of the city, less [...]