Pope Julius II
The Warrior Pope who led armies and commissioned masterpieces.
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Pope Julius II (born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 1443 – 21 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and leader of the Papal States from 1503 to his death, in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope, the Battle Pope or the Fearsome Pope, it is often speculated that he had chosen his papal name not in honour of Pope Julius I but in emulation of Julius Caesar. One of the most powerful and influential popes, Julius II was a central figure of the High Renaissance and left a significant cultural and political legacy.
Lore & Background
Julius II became pope in the context of the Italian Wars. He targeted the House of Borgia, exiling them or destroying their influence. He joined the anti-Venetian League of Cambrai in December 1508, then reconciled with Venice in 1510 and formed the Holy League in 1511 to eliminate French presence in Italy. He personally led papal forces at the Siege of Mirandola and ultimately forced French troops to retreat behind the Alps.
At the Congress of Mantua in 1512, he ordered the restoration of Italian families to power. He affirmed ultramontanism at the Fifth Lateran Council. He planned to call for a crusade against the Ottoman Empire but died before making official announcements.
Reader's Guide
In 1506, Julius II established the Vatican Museums and initiated the rebuilding of St. Peter's Basilica. The same year he organized the Swiss Guard for his personal protection and commanded a successful campaign in Romagna. In 1508, he commissioned the Raphael Rooms and Michelangelo's paintings in the Sistine Chapel. He was fiercely satirized after his death by Erasmus of Rotterdam in 'Julius Excluded from Heaven.'
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Pope Julius II (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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