Pope Julius III: Difference between revisions

Papal styles of
**Pope Julius III**
Papal styles of; Pope Julius III
Reference style	His Holiness
Spoken style	Your Holiness
Religious style	Holy Father
Posthumous style	None

Pope Julius III
Pope Julius III
Papacy began	7 February 1550
Papacy ended	23 March 1555
Predecessor	Paul III
Successor	Marcellus II
Orders
Consecration	12 November 1514; by Antonio Maria Ciocchi del Monte
Created cardinal	22 December 1536
Personal details
Born	Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte; 10 September 1487; Rome, Papal State
Died	23 March 1555 (aged 67); Rome, Papal State
	Other popes named Julius

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Pope Julius III (10 September 1487–23 March 1555), born Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte, was Pope from 7 February 1550 to 1555.

In his early career in the Church Julius established a reputation as an effective and trustworthy diplomat, and was elected to the Papacy as a compromise candidate when the Papal Conclave found itself deadlocked between the rival French and German factions. A compromise candidate for the Seat of Saint Peter, Julius initially showed great intent to reform the Church; however, his zeal for such a necessary cause was quickly lost after disapponting dealings concerning the Council of Trent and the rights to the Duchy of Parma. Julius resigned himself to his private palace, content to meander through his papacy without much effort at the reforms he initially championed.

The pope was well-known for his nepotism, especially concerning his adoptive nephew, which was cause for much rumour that plagued the pontiff long after his death.^[1]

Early career

The last of the High Renaissance Popes, Julius III was born Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte in Rome in 1487.^[2] His father was a famous jurist; and he himself studied law at Perugia and Siena, as well as theology under the direction of the Dominican, Ambrosius Catharinus.

In 1523 he succeeded his uncle as archbishop of Siponto (Manfredonia) in Apulia, adding the diocese of Pavia in 1520. At the Sack of Rome (1527) he was one of the hostages given by Pope Clement VII to the Emperor's forces, and might have been killed in the Campo de' Fiori as others were, had he not been secretly liberated by Cardinal Pompeo Colonna.

In 1536 he was created cardinal-priest and then (1543) cardinal-bishop of Palestrina by Pope Paul III, by whom he was employed on several important legations; he was the first president of the Council of Trent, opening its first session at Trent, 13 December 1545, with a brief oration. At the council, he was the leader of the papal party against Emperor Charles V, with whom he came into conflict on various occasions, especially when, on 26 March 1547, he transferred the Council to Bologna.

Papacy

Election

Paul III died on 10 November 1549, and in the ensuing conclave the forty-eight cardinals were divided into three factions: the Imperials, the French, and the adherents of Paul III's grandson, Cardinal Ottavio Farnese. The primary division was between the French and the Imperials (the followers of the Holy Roman Emperor), the Imperials wishing to see the Council of Trent reconvened, the French wishing to see it dropped; a further bone of contention was the Duchy of Parma, for which both the Emperor and the Farnese had claimants.

Neither the French nor the Germans favoured del Monte, and the Emperor had expressly excluded him from the list of acceptable candidates, but the French were able to block the other two factions, allowing del Monte to promote himself as a compromise. He won election on 7 February 1550, after ten weeks, the longest ever to that date.^[3] Ottavio Farnese, whose support had been crucial to the election, was immediately confirmed as Duke of Parma.

Church reforms

In gratitude for the support of the Farnese family in his election, he immediately confirmed Ottavio Farnese as Duke of Parma and his brother Orazio Farnese with the Duchy of Castro - retaining their respetive positions as Standard Bearer of the Holy Roman Church and Prefect of Rome. On 24 February 1550, he ushered in the tenth papal Jubilee with the opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica - supporting pilgrims by reducing rents and regulating the local food market. In the consistory of 28 February, he established some rules to tackle nepotism and clerical abuses; denying a cardinal's hat to Pietro Aretino, who had expected a promotion.

Early on, Julius had desired seriously to bring about a reform of the Catholic Church and to reconvene the Council of Trent, but very little was actually achieved during his five years in office. In 1551, at the request of the Emperor Charles V, he consented to the reopening of the Council of Trent and entered into a league against the Duke of Parma and Henry II of France (1547–59), but soon afterwards made terms with his enemies and suspended the meetings of the council (1553).^[4] (For the history of papal conflicts with councils, see conciliar movement).

Discouraged by his dealings with the emperor, Julius increasingly contented himself with interfering in Italian politics alone. He retired to his luxurious palace at the Villa Giulia which he had built for himself close to the Porta del Popolo. From there he passed the time in comfort, emerging from time to time to make timid efforts to reform the Church through the reestablishment of the reform commissions. He was a friend of the Jesuits, to whom he granted a fresh confirmation in 1550 in the papal bullExposcit debitum; and through the papal bull Dum sollicita of August 1552 he founded the Collegium Germanicum aimed at the reform of the Church in Germany, and granted the college an annual income.^[5]

During his pontificate, Catholicism was provisionally restored in England under Queen Mary in 1553. Julius sent Cardinal Reginald Pole as legate with powers that he could use at his discretion to help the restoration succeed.^[6] In February 1555 an envoy was dispatched from the English parliament to Julius to inform him of the country's formal submission, but the pope died before the envoy reached Rome.

Shortly before his death, Julius dispatched Cardinal Giovanni Morone to represent the interests of the Church at the Peace of Augsburg.^[7]

The cardinal-nephew scandal

Julius's particular failures were around his nepotism and favouritism. The most notable scandal surrounded his adoptive nephew, Innocenzo Ciocchi Del Monte, a beggar-boy whom the del Monte family had taken from streets of Parma and hired as a groom in their household.^[8]Julius' brother was persuaded to adopt Innocenzo, and Julius "clung to him with a love that was inexplicable as it was incredible"^[9]. Upon Julius' election to the papacy, Julius raised the still uncouth and quasi-illiterate Innocenzo to the cardinalate and immediately appointed him Cardinal-nephew, showering the boy with benefices which included Commendatario in June of 1552 of the abbeys of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy and S. Zeno in Verona, and, later, of the abbeys of S. Saba, Miramondo, Grottaferrata and Frascati, among others. Both Reginald Pole and Giovanni Carafa reminded Julius that this was a shameful abuse of Papal power, and made him aware of the "evil suppostions to which the elevation of a fatherless young man wold give rise"^[10].

The perception that unworthy figures were advancing because of sodomitical affairs prompted contemporary denunciations. Most notably Joachim du Bellay, who lived in Rome through this period in the retinue of his relative Cardinal Jean du Bellay, and who expressed his scandalized opinion of Julius in two sonnets in his series Les regrets (1558), hating to see, "a Ganymede with the red hat on his head"^[11]^[1] The Venetian ambassador reported that Innocenzo shared the pope's bedroom and bed (which perhaps may simply mean he served as valet de chambre). Burkle-Young argues Julius was simply attracted to Innocenzo's intelligence, wit and charm^[12].

The scandal also spurred Calvinists and Lutherans to issue Protestant polemic that would span a century. Thomas Beard clearly exaggerated in the Theatre of God's judgement (1597) to argue Julius' ,"custome was to promote none to ecclesisatical livings, save only his buggerers"^[13]. The Swiss protestant, Thomas Erastus, reported that awaiting Innocenzo's arrival in Rome, Julius had showed the impatience of a "lover awaiting a mistress", and that he boasted of the boy's prowess.^[14]^[1]

Despite the damage which the scandal was inflicting on the church, it was not until after Julius' death in 1555 that anything could be done to curb Innocenzo's visibility. One outcome of the cardinal-nephew scandal, however, was the upgrading of the position of Papal Secretary of State, as the incumbent had to take over the duties Innocenzo Ciocchi Del Monte was unfit to perform: the Secretary of State eventually replaced the cardinal-nephew as the most important official of the Holy See.^[15]

Artistic legacy

Julius spent the bulk of his time, and a great deal of Papal money, on entertainments at the Villa Giulia, created for him by Vignola. Julius extended his patronage to the great Renaissance composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, whom he brought to Rome as his maestro di cappella, Giorgio Vasari, who supervised the design of the Villa Giulia, and to Michelangelo, who worked there. But the pope's lack of interest in political or ecclesiastical affairs caused dismay among his contemporaries.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Crompton, Louis (2004). "Julius III". glbtq.com. Retrieved 16 August 2007.
^ George L. Williams, Papal Genealogy: The Families And Descendants Of The Popes, (McFarland & Company Inc., 1998), 82.
^ Richard P. McBrien, Lives of the Popes: The Pontiffs from St. Peter to Benedict XVI, (HarperCollins, 2000), 283.
^ Richard P. McBrien, 283–284.
^ Oskar Garstein, Rome and the Counter-Reformation in Scandinavia, (BRILL, 1992), 105.
^ Richard P. McBrien, 284.
^ Kenneth Meyer Setton, The Papacy and the Levant, 1204–1571, Vol. IV, (The American Philosophical Society, 1984), 603.
^ Who's who in gay and lesbian history By Robert Aldrich, Garry Wotherspoon; p.278
^ L. von Pastor, The History of the Popes, Germany
^ L. von Pastor, The History of the Popes, Germany
^ E. Joe Johnson, Idealized male friendship in French narrative from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, p69. USA, 2003.
^ F. Burkle-Young and M. Doerrer, The Life of Cardinal Innocenzo del Monte: A scandal in scarlet, Renaissance Studies vol. 2, 1997
^ Louis Crompton, Homosexuality and Civilisation, Harvard, 2006, p322
^ Pierre Bayle, Dictionnaire historique et critique, Paris, 1820-24
^ See The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church – Biographical Dictionary – Pope Julius III (1550–1555) – Consistory of 30 May 1550 (I) for a summary of Innocenzo Del Monte's life based on Francis Burkle-Young and Michael Leopoldo Doerrer's authoritative biography, "The life of Cardinal Innocenzo del Monte".

P. Messina, 'Del Monte, Innocenzo', Dizionario biografico degli italiani, Vol 38, Rome, 1990.
Bayle, Pierre. "Jules III." Dictionnaire historique et critique. Vol. 15. Paris: Desoer, 1820.
Burkle-Young, Francis A., and Michael Leopoldo Doerrer. The Life of Cardinal Innocenzo del Monte: A Scandal in Scarlet. Lewiston, N.Y.: Edwin Mellen, 1997.
Dall'Orto, Giovanni. "Julius III." Who's Who in Gay and Lesbian History from Antiquity to World War II. Robert Aldrich and Garry Wotherspoon, eds. London: Routledge, 2001. 234-35.
Kelly, J. N. D. The Oxford Dictionary of Popes. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986.

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Paul III	Pope 7 February 1550 – 23 March 1555	Succeeded by Marcellus II

Template:Persondata

[glbtq-1] Crompton, Louis (2004). "Julius III". glbtq.com. Retrieved 16 August 2007.

[2] George L. Williams, Papal Genealogy: The Families And Descendants Of The Popes, (McFarland & Company Inc., 1998), 82.

[3] Richard P. McBrien, Lives of the Popes: The Pontiffs from St. Peter to Benedict XVI, (HarperCollins, 2000), 283.

[4] Richard P. McBrien, 283–284.

[5] Oskar Garstein, Rome and the Counter-Reformation in Scandinavia, (BRILL, 1992), 105.

[6] Richard P. McBrien, 284.

[7] Kenneth Meyer Setton, The Papacy and the Levant, 1204–1571, Vol. IV, (The American Philosophical Society, 1984), 603.

[8] Who's who in gay and lesbian history By Robert Aldrich, Garry Wotherspoon; p.278

[9] L. von Pastor, The History of the Popes, Germany

[10] L. von Pastor, The History of the Popes, Germany

[11] E. Joe Johnson, Idealized male friendship in French narrative from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, p69. USA, 2003.

[12] F. Burkle-Young and M. Doerrer, The Life of Cardinal Innocenzo del Monte: A scandal in scarlet, Renaissance Studies vol. 2, 1997

[13] Louis Crompton, Homosexuality and Civilisation, Harvard, 2006, p322

[14] Pierre Bayle, Dictionnaire historique et critique, Paris, 1820-24

[15] See The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church – Biographical Dictionary – Pope Julius III (1550–1555) – Consistory of 30 May 1550 (I) for a summary of Innocenzo Del Monte's life based on Francis Burkle-Young and Michael Leopoldo Doerrer's authoritative biography, "The life of Cardinal Innocenzo del Monte".

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@@ Line 52: / Line 52: @@
 [[Image:IMG 0684 - Danti, Vincenzo - Giulio III -1555- - Foto G. Dall'Orto - 5 ago 2006 - 01.jpg|thumb|leftt|200px|left|Bronze statue in [[Perugia]], 1555.]]
+In gratitude for the support of the [[Farnese]] family in his election, he immediately confirmed [[Ottavio Farnese]] as [[Duke of Parma]] and his brother [[Orazio Farnese]] with the [[Duchy of Castro]] - retaining their respetive positions as ''Standard Bearer of the Holy Roman Church'' and ''Prefect of Rome''. On 24 February 1550, he ushered in the tenth papal Jubilee with the opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica - supporting pilgrims by reducing rents and regulating the local food market. In the consistory of 28 February, he established some rules to tackle nepotism and clerical abuses; denying a cardinal's hat to [[Pietro Aretino]], who had expected a promotion.
-At the start of his reign Julius had desired seriously to bring about a reform of the Catholic Church and to reconvene the [[Council of Trent]], but very little was actually achieved during his five years in office. In 1551, at the request of the Emperor Charles V, he consented to the reopening of the Council of Trent and entered into a league against the Duke of Parma and [[Henry II of France]] (1547–59), but soon afterwards made terms with his enemies and suspended the meetings of the council (1553).<ref>Richard P. McBrien, 283–284.</ref> (For the history of papal conflicts with councils, see [[conciliar movement]]).
+Early on, Julius had desired seriously to bring about a reform of the Catholic Church and to reconvene the [[Council of Trent]], but very little was actually achieved during his five years in office. In 1551, at the request of the Emperor Charles V, he consented to the reopening of the Council of Trent and entered into a league against the Duke of Parma and [[Henry II of France]] (1547–59), but soon afterwards made terms with his enemies and suspended the meetings of the council (1553).<ref>Richard P. McBrien, 283–284.</ref> (For the history of papal conflicts with councils, see [[conciliar movement]]).
-Discouraged by his dealings with the emperor, Julius increasingly contented himself with interfering in Italian politics alone. He retired to his luxurious palace at the [[Villa Giulia]] which he had built for himself close to the [[Porta del Popolo]]. From there he passed the time in comfort, emerging from time to time to make timid efforts to reform the Church through the reestablishment of the reform commissions. He was a friend of the [[Jesuits]], to whom he granted a fresh confirmation in 1550; and through the [[papal bull]] ''Dum sollicita'' of August 1552 he founded the [[Collegium Germanicum]], and granted the college an annual income.<ref>Oskar Garstein, ''Rome and the Counter-Reformation in Scandinavia'', (BRILL, 1992), 105.</ref>
+Discouraged by his dealings with the emperor, Julius increasingly contented himself with interfering in Italian politics alone. He retired to his luxurious palace at the [[Villa Giulia]] which he had built for himself close to the [[Porta del Popolo]]. From there he passed the time in comfort, emerging from time to time to make timid efforts to reform the Church through the reestablishment of the reform commissions. He was a friend of the [[Jesuits]], to whom he granted a fresh confirmation in 1550 in the papal bull''Exposcit debitum''; and through the [[papal bull]] ''Dum sollicita'' of August 1552 he founded the [[Collegium Germanicum]] aimed at the reform of the Church in Germany, and granted the college an annual income.<ref>Oskar Garstein, ''Rome and the Counter-Reformation in Scandinavia'', (BRILL, 1992), 105.</ref>
 During his pontificate, Catholicism was provisionally restored in England under [[Mary I of England|Queen Mary]] in 1553. Julius sent Cardinal [[Reginald Pole]] as legate with powers that he could use at his discretion to help the restoration succeed.<ref>Richard P. McBrien, 284.</ref> In February 1555 an envoy was dispatched from the English parliament to Julius to inform him of the country's formal submission, but the pope died before the envoy reached Rome.