Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or the Fearsome Pope, he chose his papal name not in honour of Pope Julius I but in emulation of Julius Caesar. One of the most powerful and influential popes, Julius II was a central figure of the High Renaissance and left a significant cultural and political legacy.
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Julius II became Pope in the context of the Italian wars, shortly after France occupied the Duchy of Milan and Spanish troops arrived in the Kingdom of Naples. With France taking over the North of Italy after defeating Venice at the Battle of Agnadello and Ferdinand of Spain becoming King of Naples,...
Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or the Fearsome Pope, he chose his papal name not in honour of Pope Julius I but in emulation of Julius Caesar. One of the most powerful and influential popes, Julius II was a central figure of the High Renaissance and left a significant mark in world history.
Pope Julius II (Italian: Papa Giulio II; Latin: Iulius II) (5 December 1443 – 21 February 1513), born Giuliano della Rovere, and nicknamed "The Fearsome Pope" and "The Warrior Pope", was Pope from 1 November 1503 to his death in 1513.
Once crowned, Julius II proclaimed instead his goal to centralize the Papal States (in large part a patchwork of communes and signorie) and "free Italy from the barbarians". In his early years as Pope, Julius II removed the Borjas from power and exiled them to Spain. Cesare Borgia, Duke of Romagna, shared the same fate and lost his possessions.
Julius’s main goal on becoming Pope was to reinstate the papal states to their former glory, as they had fallen into ruin thanks to the Borgias. To achieve this Julius II used warfare. He first conquered Perugia and Bologna in the autumn of 1508, and then in March 1509, he joined the League of Cambrai, an anti-Venetian alliance. The league troops defeated Venice in May 1509 and the Papal States were restored. From extending the papacy’s power as the dominant political and military force and confiscating the landholdings of Cesare Borgia, Julius II sought to free all of Italy from the French and stop the rebellion of local lords. This was the motivation for his second war – to drive the French from Italy. But this war, which lasted from 1510 – 1511 was unsuccessful. Nevertheless, by 1513, his objective to make the Papacy the main force in the Italian Wars was achieved. And so, whilst Julius may have been more concerned with the recovery and expansion of papal territory, he did in the process help forge an Italian national consciousness. It is no wonder that he is depicted as a soldier-type figure.
Pope Julius II was head of the Roman Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in 1513. He chose his papal name, not in honour of Pope Julius I, but in emulation of Julius Caesar. Julius II is known to be a causing contributor to the reformation, as his focus on the arts and politics alienated northern Europe. He is still one of the most famous Pope’s throughout history, as he is responsible for some of the best tourist destinations in all of Italy.
To see the works collected, commissioned and envisioned by Pope Julius II, visit the Vatican City for yourself, and explore the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and more on our popular Vatican Museums Tour today!
As we have discovered, Julius II was not a particularly spiritual man…But he was very interested in the art world and in creating a visual masterpiece within the Catholic Church. His name is therefore closely linked with those of such great artists as Bramante, Raphael, and Michelangelo. With his wealth and visionary ideas, he contributed to their creativity. The art-loving Pope sponsored the construction of many fine buildings in Rome and encouraged the inclusion of new art in several notable churches. He laid the groundwork for the Vatican Museum by making it one of the greatest collections in Europe. This has led him to become famously known as one of the greatest investors of the arts out of all the past and present Popes in Italy. He was known to inspire great artistic creations, commissioning masterpieces from great artists such as Bramante, Raphael, and Michelangelo. Majority of these great artists best-known works were commissioned by Julius II. For example, he was the one to elect that Michelangelo should paint the Sistine Chapel ’s ceiling. He also appointed Raphael to create the four Raphael’s Rooms, as well as asking Bramante to construct new basilica for St. Peter ’s. He was so close to some of these masters, that Julius II became Michelangelo’s intellectual collaborator.
Sowards, J. Kelley, ed. The Julius Exclusus of Erasmus. Bloomington, Ind., 1968.
Partridge, Loren, and Randolph Starn. A Renaissance Likeness: Art and Culture in Raphael's "Julius II." Berkeley, 1980.
Pope Julius II (Latin: Iulius II; Italian: Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 1443 – 21 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or the Fearsome Pope, he chose his papal name not in honour of Pope Julius I but in emulation of Julius Caesar. One of the most powerful and influential popes, …
Giuliano della Rovere Albisola was born near Savona in the Republic of Genoa. He was of the House of della Rovere, a noble but impoverished family, the son of Raffaello della Rovere and Theodora Manerola, a lady of Greek ancestry. He had three brothers: Bartolomeo, a Franciscan friar who then became Bishop of Ferrara (1474–1494); Leonardo; and Giovanni, Prefect of the City of Rome (1475–1501) and Prince of Sora and Senigallia. He also had a sister, Lucina (later the mother of …
A veteran of the Sacred College, della Rovere had won influence for the election of Pope Pius III with the help of Florentine Ambassador to Naples, Lorenzo de' Medici. In spite of a violent temper della Rovere succeeded by dexterous diplomacy in winning the support of Cesare Borgia, whom he won over by his promise of money and continued papal backing for Borgia policies in the Romagna. This election was, in Ludwig von Pastor's view, certainly achieved by means of briber…