of the Popes", (German ed., Freiburg, 1895), III, 275-278; also Am. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. When Pope John Paul II died on April 2, there were calls for him to be named "Pope John Paul the Great," an honorific applied to only two previous pontiffs, or elevated to immediate sainthood. Pope Alexander VI issues a papal bull or decree, “Inter Caetera," in which he authorizes Spain and Portugal to colonize the Americas and its Native peoples as subjects. Alexander VI, corrupt, wordly, and ambitious pope (1492–1503), whose neglect of the spiritual inheritance of the church contributed to the development of the Protestant Reformation. After concluding an alliance with Venice and Ferdinand II of Spain and Naples in October 1511, he opened the council in May 1512 at the Lateran Palace. The Pope lavished on him six bishoprics in France and three in Italy along with an abundance of wealthy abbeys and benefices. Once pope, Alexander VI named his own 18-year-old son a cardinal, along with the brother of a papal mistress. He wished for greatness for the papacy rather than for the pope, and he wished for peace in Italy. A month after that date, on June 7, Alexander VI made some changes on the treaty signed a year ago in Tordesillas, made some concessions and … The Pope’s friendship with Michelangelo, begun in 1506, was enduring despite recurrent strains imposed on their relations by the two overly similar personalities. On August 10, the cardinals elected Rodrigo, and he took the name Alexander VI. Pope Gregory the Great (590-604) was the first monk to take the office. Corrections? As a matter of fact he cannot be … Alexander VI Was Born Into Spanish Nobility Pope Alexander VI was born Rodrigo de Borja in Xàtiva, near Valencia,... 2. Julius II viewed as the main task of his pontificate the restoration of the Papal States, which had been reduced to ruin by the Borgias. Pope John XXIII, seated at his desk in the small throne room at the vatican in rome, gives a photo of himself to Catherine hudson, seven-year old leukemia victim of Oklahoma City, OK. Catherine realized her dream of seaaing the Pontiff when she and her mother mrs. Marlene Hudson, were received in a special audience today. After the death of Sixtus IV, for whom Giuliano commissioned a bronze sepulchre by Antonio Pollaiuolo, now in the Vatican Grotto of St. Peter’s, the Cardinal’s candidate, the weak Innocent VIII, was elected through bribery. His reign began well. Cath. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. If you have a cat, you need this breed and health DNA test, The best masks for people who wear glasses. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). From the marriage of the Pope’s only brother, Giovanni, to the daughter and heiress of Duke Federigo of Montefeltro descended the dukes of Urbino. As a first step as pope, Julius subjugated Perugia and … Had they dug into the archives of papal history, the 115 cardinals who were locked into the Sistine Chapel this week to select a new pope might have been struck with a strange mix of inspiration and revulsion. Louis XII had defeated the troops of the alliance at Ravenna in April 1512, but the situation changed when Swiss troops were sent to the Pope’s aid. He was the son of Rodrigo Borgia, who later became Pope Alexander VIand his long-term mistress Vannozza dei Cattanei. Having become an exponent of Italian national consciousness, Julius II proposed to drive the French from Italy, but his second war, which lasted from September 1510 to May 1511, was unsuccessful. Please select which sections you would like to print: While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. His pursuit of political goals and unremitting efforts to aggrandize his family were seen as excessive. Catherine, who doctors say has only a short time to live, had repeatedly asked her mother to please take her to see the pope. That was advisable since his name from birth had been Mercury, like the pagan god. The territories in northern Italy occupied by the French revolted, the French left the country, and the Papal States were augmented by the acquisition of Parma and Piacenza. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. He Wasn’t the Only Borgia Pope Alexander VI was not the only Borgia to … When Rodrigo de Borja was elected pope as Alexander VI following the death of Innocent VIII, it was the turn of his son Cesare Borgia to "inherit" the post as second archbishop of Valencia. Updates? Pope Alexander VI died in 1503 after a mysterious disease caused his body to bloat and become discolored. [For details of the conclave see Pastor, "Hist. When his uncle Alonso de Borja (bishop of Valencia) was elected Pope Callixtus III,he "inherited" the post of bishop of Valencia. While no one knows what legacy the new pope will leave, Joseph Ratzinger, the chief enforcer of church orthodox doctrine under John Paul II, may have sent a signal by selecting the papal name Benedict XVI. The Cardinal, who lacked any interest in spiritual pursuits, became an outstanding patron of the arts. His death came a few days after a dinner with Cardinal Adriano Castellesi, who was supposedly the target of a poisoning scheme by Cesare. He is shown with his protégés in Melozzo da Forlì’s superb fresco of Sixtus IV in the Vatican Museum. ". Alexander VI has become almost a mythical character, and countless legends and traditions are attached to his name. From Pope Alexander VI to Pope John XXIII, the history of the papacy is a succession of scoundrels and saints, (NY21-April11) Her dream comes true. Closely related to this is the “Liberation of St. Peter,” in which light and darkness serve to symbolize the historic events of the pontificate. Pope Alexander VI: Alexander VI, born Rodrigo Borgia, was an extremely controversial pope, who was involved in a number of major scandals during the Renaissance. Alexander VI also had a reputation for sexual excess: he had several mistresses and fathered at least a dozen children, including the notorious Lucretia Borgia. Although he led military efforts to prevent French domination of Italy, Julius is most important for his close friendship with Michelangelo and for his patronage of other artists, including Bramante and Raphael. That he obtained the papacy through simony was the general belief (Pastor, loc. Pope. The Rev. Then, in March 1509, he joined the League of Cambrai, an anti-Venetian alliance formed in December 1508 between Louis XII, who then ruled Milan, Emperor Maximilian I, and Ferdinand II of Spain, who had been king of Naples since 1503. On the other, there was Pope John XXIII, who Richard McBrien, a theology professor at the University of Notre Dame and author of the book "Lives of the Popes," ranks as "the most beloved, ecumenical and openhearted pope in history. 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Paul Schmidt, an Oakland priest on sabbatical in Rome, did not miss a beat when asked what qualities he would like to see in the new pope. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Julius-II, Art Encyclopedia - Biography of Pope Julius II, Julius II - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple. Pope Innocent IV (1243-54) wasn't. Alexander VI had the leading voice for papal reform of his time, Florentine preacher Girolamo Savonarola, excommunicated, tortured and executed in 1498. Quart.Review, April, 1900.] Pope Alexander VI, born as Rodrigo de Borja, came from a prominent family in Spain, the Borgia. His name is closely linked with those of such great artists as Bramante, Raphael, and Michelangelo. He died on August 18th, 1503. In 1468 he became a Franciscan, and in 1471 Sixtus IV made him a cardinal. Large portions of it had been appropriated by Venice after Alexander VI’s death. In the conclave following Calixtus’s death, Rodrigo was the most junior cardinal, but he played a key role in electing the new Pope—Pius II—a role that required courage and gambling his career. But John XXIII still has plenty of devotees. Alexander VI had the leading voice for papal reform of his time, Florentine preacher Girolamo Savonarola, excommunicated, tortured and executed in 1498. But the pope himself was apparently murdered by poisoning in August 1503 at a dinner hosted by one of his cardinals. After Christopher Columbus returned from his first voyage to the Americas in 1493, the kings of Spain and Portugal disagreed on who should control trade and colonization of the newly discovered lands. Their relationship was so close that the Pope became, in fact, Michelangelo’s intellectual collaborator. The young Rodrigo had not yet definitely chosen his profession when the elevation of his uncle to the papacy (1455) opened up new prospects to his ambition. Specialist on the history of the Roman Catholic Church and the Papacy. In the following bull, Pope Alexander VI decrees that all newly discovered lands west of an imaginary line of longitude running through the eastern part of present-day Brazil belonged to Spain, and everything east to Portugal. Alexander VI lived in the Borgias’ Apartments in the Papal Palace. He was ordained as a deacon when his uncle, Pope Calistus III, won the papacy. St. Peter’s Basilica. Cesare Borgia born 13 September 1475 or April 1476 – 12 March 1507),Duke of Valentinois, was an Italian, nobleman, politician, and cardinal. I rode this Peloton competitor for 21 days. After his election, the new pope rewarded his supporters by distributing his former church offices. At a meeting of church officials held in August 1492, the sixty-one-year-old Borgia was elected pope. Julius II, contemporary medallion; in the coin collection of the Vatican Library. On August 11, 1492, at 61 years of age, Rodrigo was elevated as Pope Alexander VI. The collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century created a political and cultural vacuum that was filled, in part, by the Roman Catholic Church. He calls Alexander VI "the most notorious pope in all of history," one marked by "nepotism, greed and unbridled sensuality.". Historian and freelance writer. In 1508 Michelangelo was prevailed upon by Julius to begin his paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which were unveiled in October 1512. After it, the Pope was obliged to look through his decision again, invited parties to negotiations after a year, on May 4 and made concessions to Portuguese. In addition to these fresco portraits, there is one by Raphael in the Uffizi gallery in Florence, one of the masterpieces of portraiture, which shows the Pope not as the victorious Moses springing to his feet, as Michelangelo portrayed him, but as a resigned, pensive old man at the end of an adventurous, embattled life. The College of Cardinals was not given that power until 1059. Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici (later Pope Leo X ) is said to have warned after the election, "Now we are in the power of a wolf, the most rapacious perhaps that this world has ever seen. Not much is known about Borgia's childhood, but by about 1489, she was living with her father's third cousin Adriana de Mila and her father's new mistress Giulia Farnese, who was married to Adriana's stepson. Depose Alexander VI was born Rodrigo de Borja, came from a prominent family in Spain the! Maintained the strict administration of justice and orderly government family in Spain, the.! 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