Pope Julius II
The Warrior Pope who led armies and commissioned masterpieces.
Pope Julius II (born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 1443 – 21 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope, the Battle Pope or the Fearsome Pope, he was a central figure of the High Renaissance.
- known_for
- Warrior Pope; patron of the High Renaissance; founder of the Vatican Museums; initiator of St. Peter's Basilica rebuilding; reorganizer of the Swiss Guard; commissioning of the Raphael Rooms and Miche
Quick Facts
- Honorific Prefix
- Pope
- Title
- Bishop of Rome
- Birth Name
- Giuliano della Rovere
- Church
- Catholic
- Term Start
- 1 November 1503
- Term End
- 21 February 1513
- Predecessor
- Pius III
- Successor
- Leo X
- Previous Post
- Bishop of Catania (14731474) / Archbishop of Avignon (14741503) / Cardinal-bishop of Sabina (14791483) / Camerlengo of the Cardinals (1479) / Cardinal-bishop of Ostia (14831503)
- Ordination
- 1471
- Consecration
- 1481 (?)
- Consecrated By
- Sixtus IV
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Julius II was born in Albisola near Savona in the Republic of Genoa, of the House of della Rovere. He was educated by his uncle Francesco della Rovere among the Franciscans and later sent to the Franciscan friary in Perugia to study the sciences at the university. After his uncle became Pope Sixtus IV, Giuliano was appointed Bishop of Carpentras on 16 October 1471 and raised to the cardinalate on 16 December 1471. He held several bishoprics including Lausanne, Coutances, and Catania. As pope, he established the Vatican Museums, initiated rebuilding St. Peter's Basilica, reorganized the Swiss Guard (originally founded by Pope Sixtus IV in 1471), and commissioned the Raphael Rooms and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel paintings. He joined the anti-Venetian League of Cambrai in 1508, then formed the Holy League in 1511 to expel the French from Italy. He personally led forces at the Siege of Mirandola. After the French victory at the Battle of Ravenna (1512), the French withdrew from Italy due to the formation of the Holy League and other strategic factors. At the Congress of Mantua in 1512, he ordered the restoration of Italian families to power. He planned a crusade against the Ottoman Empire but died before making official announcements.
Reader's Guide
Julius II became pope in the context of the Italian Wars. He targeted the House of Borgia, exiling them. He joined the League of Cambrai against Venice, then reconciled with Venice in 1510. He brought King Ferdinand II of Aragon into the Holy League. He declared the imperial election sufficient for Maximilian to style himself Holy Roman Emperor. He affirmed ultramontanism at the Fifth Lateran Council. By the end of his pontificate, the papal objective to make the Church the main force in the Italian Wars was achieved. At the Roman Carnival of 1513, he presented himself as the 'liberator of Italy'.
Did You Know?
- Julius II was nicknamed the Warrior Pope, the Battle Pope, or the Fearsome Pope.
- He allowed people seeking indulgences to donate money for the construction of Saint Peter's Basilica.
- He was fiercely satirized after his death by Erasmus of Rotterdam in 'Julius Excluded from Heaven'.
- He personally led the papal armed forces at the victorious Siege of Mirandola.
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