Giulio Rospigliosi (say that five times fast) was born in 1600 to a noble Tuscan family. He was educated at the Roman Seminary and the University of Pisa, where he earned several doctorates and remained as a professor of philosophy for two years. Giulio was virtuous and a naturally-gifted diplomat, so he was an obvious pick for rapid success in the Church. His love of literature, music, and poetry was shared by Pope Urban VIII, who tapped Giulio as nuncio to Spain for 11 years. He then sat out the papacy of Innocent X, but was subbed back in as Cardinal Secretary of State once Alexander VII was elected.

Pope Clement IX was a “best of both worlds” candidate in the conclave following Alexander VII’s death. The Romans liked his charitable demeanor, the Spanish liked him for having been their nuncio for a decade, and the French were cool with Clement (surprisingly) because the Spanish didn’t hate him. Clement balanced the papal checkbook for the first time in years, forged an unusual peace -- known as the Pax Clementina -- with the Jansenists, and corrected various abuses in the New World. Clement died on December 9, 1669 after two and a half years in office.

It’s fair to say that Clement IX was best known as especially embodying the humble title of “Servant of the Servants of God.” Clement was known to spend two days of every week hearing confessions in St. Peter’s Basilica, he gave generously to Rome’s poor, and he made frequent personal visits to the hospitalized. He also shirked all notoriety, forbidding his name to be placed on any new building and adamantly refusing to engage in nepotism. Sound like anyone we know?

Fun Fact: Among his other canonizations and beatifications, Clement IX beatified the first saint of the Americas, Rose of Lima, on April 15, 1668.

Emiliero Altieri, born of one of the most ancient noble Roman families, lived his life in service to the Church. After receiving his doctorate in canon law, Emiliero was sent first to Poland as auditor for its papal nuncio there. Urban VIII assigned him to important tasks in Ravenna from 1623-1644, after which Emiliero was named nuncio of Naples by Innocent X for 11 years. Alexander VII sent Emiliero back to Poland for 12 years, then Clement IX called him back to Rome to serve in his court. Clement IX made his aged pal a cardinal on the eve of his death, prophetically saying to Emiliero, “You will be our successor.”

A long conclave rife with bickering ended, as Clement IX had predicted, in the choice of Pope Clement X. The new pope initially refused and required a good amount of persuading before finally accepting his new office, taking the name Clement X as a shout-out to his friend and predecessor. Clement X fought his entire papacy to keep peace in Europe, against the ambitious King Louis XIV of France. He also established the first-ever North American diocese, the See of Quebec, in 1674. Clement X died at the age of 86 on July 22, 1676, having been the oldest pope at death up to that point in history (later popes Clement XII and Leo XIII would die at an older age).

This pope followed in the footsteps of his last several predecessors by being well-known for the saints whom he canonized. Clement X’s formidable stable of halos included the canonizations of St. Cajetan, St. Francis Borgia, St. Louis Bertrand, and St. Rose of Lima. He also beatified the illustrious Pope St. Pius V, the great mystic St. John of the Cross, and the Dutch Martyrs of Gorkum, 19 priests and religious who had been put to death by Calvinists in Holland in 1572.

Fun Fact: Clement X tops the list of oldest popes at the time of election, having been 79 years and 290 days old. For context, Clement was older than Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI by nearly two years, and Pope Francis by more than three and half years.