Clement VII (pope)

Clement VII (pope) (1478-1534), pope (1523-1534), whose pontificate was marked by an unsuccessful attempt to end the Reformation in Germany and by his role in the power struggle between Francis I, king of France, and Charles V, Holy Roman emperor.

Born Giulio de' Medici in Florence, Italy, he was the illegitimate son of Giuliano de' Medici. After the death of his father, Giulio was raised by his uncle, Lorenzo de' Medici. In May 1513 he was appointed archbishop of Florence by his cousin Pope Leo X. The following September he was made a cardinal and later became an adviser to the pope. He was elected pope in November 1523.

In 1527 the imperial army sacked Rome and held Clement prisoner for seven months; the papacy was thus made subservient to the Holy Roman Empire. In 1533 the pope alienated King Henry VIII of England by declaring that Henry's previous marriage, to Catherine of Aragón, was still valid. This declaration precipitated a split between the papacy and the king. Clement was a patron of the arts; among the Italian artists he encouraged were Benvenuto Cellini, Raphael, and Michelangelo.