Pope from August 19, 1458 - August 14, 1464
Lived: October 18, 1405 - August 14, 1464
Who was this guy before he was pope?
Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini was born near Siena, Italy on October 18, 1405 to a noble family. He was the oldest of 18 children, so from an early age he gained experience herding a large group of subjects. He studied at the University of Siena, then served as secretary for a bishop at the Council of Basel in the 1430s. The ambitious and zealous Aeneas began favoring Antipope Felix V, but got himself excommunicated as a result. He was able to reconcile with Pope Eugene IV after a meeting while serving as envoy for Emperor Frederick III. Aeneas quickly rose through Church ranks after that, owing success both to personal ambition and a genuine skill in diplomacy and administration.
Give me the scoop on Pius II.
It was Pius’ ambition and savvy which ultimately won him the papacy, as well. Despite there being an odds-on pick for Callistus III’s successor (who wasn’t Pius), the eventual winner was able to convince his brother cardinals that he and he alone had what it took to be pontiff. Somehow, it worked, and Pius II was elected on August 19, 1458. His papacy was primarily focused on two things: a crusade against the Turks in the East, and putting to rest the idea that General Councils could boss the pope around.
Pius was a prolific writer -- it’s thanks to him that we have such great detail during the time of his papacy and the decades prior -- a lover of literature, and most notably the pope who canonized St. Catherine of Siena, now recognized as a Doctor of the Church. Pius II died on his way to support his Crusaders on August 14, 1464, just five days short of six years in office. He was buried in the Church of Sant’Andrea della Valle in Rome.
What was he known for?
Pius II is most known for having had an interesting conversion of heart over the course of his later adult life. Early on, while dabbling in humanism and prior to his career in the Church, Pius II illegitimately fathered two children and even wrote what’s widely considered a romance novel, The Tale of the Two Lovers, about a man who falls in love with a married woman. Wonder who that's about.
Once he entered into service of the Church, however, Pius very clearly took on a more austere and pious (pun totally intended) existence. He even went as far as issuing a papal bull to formally retract his earlier writings, the gist of which was apparently, “Reject Aeneas, hold fast to Pius.”
Fun Fact: The longest gap, to date, between “I” and “II” in the succession of a papal name is easily claimed by the interval between Pope St. Pius I (#10) and Pope Pius II. It had been 1,317 years and 199 papacies since a pope bore that name. Interestingly enough, Pius II didn’t even take his name to honor his initial namesake. It’s instead thought that Pius II, being a lover of literature, remembered the protagonist in Virgil’s Aeneid being described as “pius Aeneas” and styled himself accordingly. #humblebrag
Coming tomorrow...Pope Paul II
John, E. (1964). The Popes: A concise biographical history. New York: Hawthorn Books.
Lived: October 18, 1405 - August 14, 1464
Birth name: Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini
Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini was born near Siena, Italy on October 18, 1405 to a noble family. He was the oldest of 18 children, so from an early age he gained experience herding a large group of subjects. He studied at the University of Siena, then served as secretary for a bishop at the Council of Basel in the 1430s. The ambitious and zealous Aeneas began favoring Antipope Felix V, but got himself excommunicated as a result. He was able to reconcile with Pope Eugene IV after a meeting while serving as envoy for Emperor Frederick III. Aeneas quickly rose through Church ranks after that, owing success both to personal ambition and a genuine skill in diplomacy and administration.
Give me the scoop on Pius II.
It was Pius’ ambition and savvy which ultimately won him the papacy, as well. Despite there being an odds-on pick for Callistus III’s successor (who wasn’t Pius), the eventual winner was able to convince his brother cardinals that he and he alone had what it took to be pontiff. Somehow, it worked, and Pius II was elected on August 19, 1458. His papacy was primarily focused on two things: a crusade against the Turks in the East, and putting to rest the idea that General Councils could boss the pope around.
Pius was a prolific writer -- it’s thanks to him that we have such great detail during the time of his papacy and the decades prior -- a lover of literature, and most notably the pope who canonized St. Catherine of Siena, now recognized as a Doctor of the Church. Pius II died on his way to support his Crusaders on August 14, 1464, just five days short of six years in office. He was buried in the Church of Sant’Andrea della Valle in Rome.
What was he known for?
Pius II is most known for having had an interesting conversion of heart over the course of his later adult life. Early on, while dabbling in humanism and prior to his career in the Church, Pius II illegitimately fathered two children and even wrote what’s widely considered a romance novel, The Tale of the Two Lovers, about a man who falls in love with a married woman. Wonder who that's about.
Once he entered into service of the Church, however, Pius very clearly took on a more austere and pious (pun totally intended) existence. He even went as far as issuing a papal bull to formally retract his earlier writings, the gist of which was apparently, “Reject Aeneas, hold fast to Pius.”
Fun Fact: The longest gap, to date, between “I” and “II” in the succession of a papal name is easily claimed by the interval between Pope St. Pius I (#10) and Pope Pius II. It had been 1,317 years and 199 papacies since a pope bore that name. Interestingly enough, Pius II didn’t even take his name to honor his initial namesake. It’s instead thought that Pius II, being a lover of literature, remembered the protagonist in Virgil’s Aeneid being described as “pius Aeneas” and styled himself accordingly. #humblebrag
Coming tomorrow...Pope Paul II
SOURCES (and further reading)
John, E. (1964). The Popes: A concise biographical history. New York: Hawthorn Books.
Guruge, A. (2010). The Next Pope. New Hampshire: WOWNH
Pope Pius II - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12126c.htm
Pope Pius II - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_II
