Julius II

Julius II (1443-1513), pope (1503-13), whose reign is considered one of the most brilliant in the Renaissance period. A powerful ruler, he was also the greatest art patron among the popes.

He was born Giuliano della Rovere, in Albisola, Italy, and became a Franciscan priest in 1468. After his uncle became Pope Sixtus IV, he was made a bishop and a cardinal. When his personal enemy Rodrigo Borgia became Pope Alexander VI in 1492, he fled in exile to France, where he stayed until Alexander died. He was elected Pope Julius II in 1503. Although bribery played a large part in his own election, the new pope promptly decreed all future elections influenced by simony invalid and subject to penalty.

The chief concern of Julius's pontificate was the reunification and expansion of the Papal States. By joining the League of Cambrai (1508) against the republic of Venice and by forming (1511) the Holy League against France, he secured his hold on the Papal States and extended papal rule over parts of northern Italy. As a result of Julius's abiding interest in the arts, many buildings were added in Rome, and churches throughout Italy were enriched artistically. He was a patron and personal friend of some of the Renaissance masters, including Bramante, Raphael, and Michelangelo, whose effort to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel he commissioned.