Ippolito (the Italian form of “Hippolytus”, for those keeping score at home) Aldobrandini was born in Rome, but came from a Florentine family who had fled the tyrannical Medicis some years before. He was educated as a canon lawyer, and served much of his career on the Roman Rota, the Church’s highest ecclesiastical court. Ippolito placed himself under the direction of St. Philip Neri for over three decades, and carried blameless morals throughout his life.

Talk about a papal slam dunk. Clement was temperate and pious, and wasn’t about that whole pandering-to-the-king-just-because business. King Philip II of Spain, whose ego had led him to think he could appoint new popes at will, was treated to a hearty, “Think again, Phil,” by the College of Cardinals as they tapped Clement VIII to succeed Innocent IX on February 2, 1592.

Though sickly from the start, Clement’s resilience kept him in office for well over a decade. He began his papacy by visiting every church, school, and charity in Rome, squashing abuses and encouraging proper discipline in each place. He released revisions of the Vulgate Bible, the Breviary, and the Roman Missal, as well. Clement convened a Jubilee Year in 1600, which saw nearly three million pilgrims visit the Eternal City. Though his later years required him to be bedridden, mentally Clement was a steel trap to the end. He died on March 3, 1605 and is buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

Pope Clement VIII is best known ending a thirty year religious war, welcoming King Henry IV back into the Church, and ultimately forging peace between the perennial rivals, Spain and France. Henry, who had dabbled for years in all things Protestant and been excommunicated by two popes as a result, found it in his best interest to become Catholic after realizing he’d forfeit the crown without it. Despite the obvious political interest, Clement became convinced his conversion had a true spiritual dimension and lifted Henry’s ban in 1595. This ended the war, and allowed Clement to forge a lasting truce between the Spanish and French three years later.

Fun Fact: We have Pope Clement VIII to thank for the glorious gift of coffee. Though it had been popular among Islamic peoples for centuries, the unusual beverage was finally brought to Rome -- and, thus, the Western World -- during Clement’s papacy. Despite his advisers claiming the drink was the invention of Satan, the pope, after taking a drink, reportedly said:

Amen, Your Holiness. Amen.