Pope from August 30, 1464 - July 26, 1471
Lived: February 23, 1417 - July 26, 1471
Who was this guy before he was pope?
Pietro Barbo (English: Peter Barber) was born in Venice in 1417, and was the nephew of Pope Eugene IV (#207). Though he was initially trained as a merchant, Pietro sought a career in the Church following Uncle Gene’s election in 1431. The kind and generous -- albeit ambitious -- young Pietro was named a cardinal after just nine years and served each of his papal predecessors until his own election in 1464.
Give me the scoop on Paul II.
Despite swearing, prior to his election, to uphold a “capitulation” that basically gave extra powers to the College of Cardinals and encroached on the pope’s legitimate office, Paul II all but abandoned the agreement as soon as he was made pontiff. He suffered a tense relationship with his cardinals as a result.
Paul II was partial to the extravagance that his office allowed, taking full advantage of all the liturgical garb and festivity the Church had to offer, but also was quick to organize relief work among Rome’s poor. Paul II fought against heresy in both France and Germany, to some success. He died suddenly of a heart attack on July 26, 1471 and was presumably buried in Rome.
What was he known for?
Pope Paul II is best known for having a relatively uneventful papacy. Neither his accomplishments nor his blemishes made any real waves over the course of his seven years in office. The closest Paul II came to intrigue was closing the Roman Academy, a prominent school that had become overrun by pagan influences and severe moral degradation, in 1468. Though the move itself was prudent, it unfortunately made Paul II the target of a “biography” full of calumny and slander, written by one of the Academy’s members.
Fun Fact: Perhaps contrary to current popular opinion of the Renaissance Church being opposed to lay literacy, it was Pope Paul II, nearly 100 years prior to the Protestant Reformation, who allowed printing to be introduced in the Papal States. Books printed there in Paul II’s time were primarily Latin classics and other Church texts.
What else was going on in the world at the time?
A wedding that would change the world occurred in Spain on October 19, 1469, when Ferdinand II of Aragon married Isabella I of Castile. The marriage was the necessary precursor to the creation of the Kingdom of Spain and many other developments in Western Europe in the coming decades, the most notable of which was commissioning Christopher Columbus’ voyage in 1492.
Coming tomorrow...Pope Sixtus IV
John, E. (1964). The Popes: A concise biographical history. New York: Hawthorn Books.
Lived: February 23, 1417 - July 26, 1471
Birth name: Pietro Barbo
Pietro Barbo (English: Peter Barber) was born in Venice in 1417, and was the nephew of Pope Eugene IV (#207). Though he was initially trained as a merchant, Pietro sought a career in the Church following Uncle Gene’s election in 1431. The kind and generous -- albeit ambitious -- young Pietro was named a cardinal after just nine years and served each of his papal predecessors until his own election in 1464.
Give me the scoop on Paul II.
Despite swearing, prior to his election, to uphold a “capitulation” that basically gave extra powers to the College of Cardinals and encroached on the pope’s legitimate office, Paul II all but abandoned the agreement as soon as he was made pontiff. He suffered a tense relationship with his cardinals as a result.
Paul II was partial to the extravagance that his office allowed, taking full advantage of all the liturgical garb and festivity the Church had to offer, but also was quick to organize relief work among Rome’s poor. Paul II fought against heresy in both France and Germany, to some success. He died suddenly of a heart attack on July 26, 1471 and was presumably buried in Rome.
What was he known for?
Pope Paul II is best known for having a relatively uneventful papacy. Neither his accomplishments nor his blemishes made any real waves over the course of his seven years in office. The closest Paul II came to intrigue was closing the Roman Academy, a prominent school that had become overrun by pagan influences and severe moral degradation, in 1468. Though the move itself was prudent, it unfortunately made Paul II the target of a “biography” full of calumny and slander, written by one of the Academy’s members.
Fun Fact: Perhaps contrary to current popular opinion of the Renaissance Church being opposed to lay literacy, it was Pope Paul II, nearly 100 years prior to the Protestant Reformation, who allowed printing to be introduced in the Papal States. Books printed there in Paul II’s time were primarily Latin classics and other Church texts.
What else was going on in the world at the time?
A wedding that would change the world occurred in Spain on October 19, 1469, when Ferdinand II of Aragon married Isabella I of Castile. The marriage was the necessary precursor to the creation of the Kingdom of Spain and many other developments in Western Europe in the coming decades, the most notable of which was commissioning Christopher Columbus’ voyage in 1492.
Coming tomorrow...Pope Sixtus IV
SOURCES (and further reading)
John, E. (1964). The Popes: A concise biographical history. New York: Hawthorn Books.
Pope Paul II - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11578a.htm
Pope Paul II - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Paul_II
1460s - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1460s
