Julius II,
pope from 1503 to 1513, was born at Savona in 1443. He was
the son of a brother of
Sixtus IV, his original name being Giuliano
della Rovere. By his uncle, who took him under his special charge, he
was educated among the
Franciscans, and latterly sent to a convent in
La Pérouse with the special purpose of obtaining a knowledge of
the sciences. He does not appear, however, to have joined the order of
St Francis, but to have remained one of the secular clergy until his
elevation in 1471 to be bishop of Carpentras, shortly after his uncle
succeeded to the papal chair. In the same year he was promoted to be
cardinal, taking the same title as that formerly held by his uncle, [[St
Peter ad Vincula]]. With his uncle he obtained very great influence, and
in addition to the archbishopric of Avignon he held no fewer than
eight bishoprics. In the capacity of papal legate he was sent in 1480
to France, where he remained four years, and acquitted himself with
such ability that he soon acquired a paramount influence in the
college of cardinals, an influence which rather increased than
diminished during the pontificate of
Innocent VIII. A rivalry bad,
however, gradually grown up between him and Roderigo Borgia, and on
the death of Innocent in 1492 Borgia by means of a secret agreement
with Ascanio Sforza succeeded in being elected over Della Rovere by a
large majority, under the name of
Alexander VI. Della Rovere at once
determined to take refuge at Ostia, and in a few months afterwards
went to Paris, where he incited Charles VIII. to undertake the
conquest of Naples. Accompanying the young king on his campaign, he
entered Rome along with him, and endeavoured to instigate the
convocation of a council to inquire into the conduct of the pope with
a view to his deposition, but Alexander, having gained a friend in
Charles?s minister Briçonnet, by the offer of a cardinal?s
hat succeeded in counterworking the machinations of his enemy. On the
death of Alexander in 1503 Della Rovere supported the candidature of
Cardinal Piccolomini of Milan, who was consecrated under the name of
Pius III., but was then suffering from an incurable malady, of which
he died in little more than a month afterwards. Della Rovere then
succeeded by dexterous diplomacy in winning the support of Caisar
Borgia, and was elected to the papal dignity by the unanimous vote of
the cardinals. From the beginning Julius II. set himself with a
courage and deter- rnination rarely equalled to rid himself of the
various powers under which his temporal authority was almost
overwhelmed. By a series of complicated stratagems he first succeeded
in rendering it impossible for Borgia to remain in the papal
states. He then used his influence to reconcile the two powerful
houses of Orsini and Colonna, and, by decrees made in their interest,
he also attached to himself the remainder of the nobility. Being thus
secure in Rome and the surrounding country, lie next set himself to
oust the Venetians from Faenza, Rimini, and the other towns and
fortresses of Italy which they occupied at the death of Alexander
VI. Finding it impossible to succeed with the doge by remonstrance, he
in 1504 brought about a union of the conflicting interests of France
and Germany, and sacrificed temporarily to some extent the
independence of Italy in order to conclude with them an offensive and
defensive alliance against Venice. The combination was, however, at
first little more than nominal, and was not immediately effective in
compelling the Venetians to deliver up more than a few unimportant
places in the romagna; but by a brilliant campaign Julius in 1506
succeeded in freeing Perugia and Bologna from their despots, and
raised himself to such a height of influence as to render his
friendship of prime importance both to the king of France and the
emperor. Events also in other respects so favoured his plans that in
1508 he was able to conclude with Louis XII, the emperor Maximilian,
and Ferdinand of Aragon, the famous league of Cambrai against the
Venetian republic. In the spring of the following year the republic
was placed under an interdict. The results of the league soon out-
stripped the primary intention of Julius. By the single battle of
Agnadello the dominion of Venice in Italy was practically lost; but,
as neither the king of France nor the emperor was satisfied with
merely effecting the purposes of the pope, the latter found it
necessary to enter into a combination with the Venetians to defend
himself from those who immediately before had been his allies against
them. The Venetians on making humble submission were absolved in the
beginning of 1510, and shortly afterwards France was placed under the
papal ban. Attempts to bring about a rupture between France and
England proved unsuccessful; on the other hand, at a synod convened by
Louis at Tours in September 1510 the French bishops withdrew from the
papal obedience, and resolved, with Maximilian?s co operation, to
seek the deposition of Julius. In November 1511 a council actually met
for this object at Pisa. Julius hereupon entered into the Holy League
with Ferdinand of Aragon and the Venetians against France, in which
both Henry VIII and the emperor ultimately joined. He also convened a
general council (that afterwards known as the Fifth Lateran) to be
held at Rome in 1512, which, accord- ing to an oath taken on his
election, he had bound himself to summon, but which had been delayed,
he affirmed, on account of the occupation of Italy by his enemies. In
1512 the French were driven across the Alps, but it was at the cost of
the occupation of Italy by the other powers, and Julius, though he had
securely established the papal authority in the states immediately
around Rome, was practically as far as ever from realizing his dream
of an independent Italian kingdom when lie died of fever in February
1513.
The abilities and ambition of Julius were regal and military rather than in any sense ecclesiastical. He was
more concerned for his own personal fame as a member of the family of Della Rovere than for the advancement of the
influence and authority of the church. His dauntless spirit, his mastery of political stratagem, and his moral indifference
in the choice of means rendered him the most prominent political figure of his time. While, however, his political
and warlike achievements would alone entitle him to rank amongst the most remarkable of the occupants of the papal
chair, his chief title to honour is to be found in his patronage of art and literature. He did much to improve and
be utify the city; in 1506 he laid the foundation stone of St Peter?s; and he was the friend and patron of Bramante?, Raphael?, and Michelangelo. He was succeeded by
[Leo X]?
text from the 9th edition (1880) of an unnamed encyclopedia. (two 120 year old bibliographic references omitted)