Preceded by Gregory XIII |
227th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church 24 April 1585– 27 August 1590 |
Succeeded by Urban VII |
Contents |
Felice Peretti di Montalto was born 13 December 1521 at Grottammare, Papal States to a poor family. His father, Pier Gentile (aka Peretto Peretti) and mother was Marianna da Frontillo.
He joined the order of Franciscans when he was still a youth where, as a scholar and preacher, he enjoyed the patronage of Pope Pius V.
He was ordained a priest in 1547 and consecrated a bishop 12 January 1567 by Antonio Lauro. He was created a cardinal 17 May 1570 by Pope Pius V. [1]
As a bishop he was appointed to Fermo (1571-1577) and Sant'Agata de"Goti (1566-1571). He was the Cardinal-Priest of San Girolamo dei Croati (1570-1585). As a cardinal he was known as Cardinal Montalto. [2]
About 1552 he went to Venice as Inquisitor general where he became embroiled in quarrels resulting in his recall in 1560. [1]
After his election as pope he concentrated on rigorously eliminating corruption and lawlessness throughout Rome. He also started a rebuilding programme resulting in the destruction of antiquities, which caused considerable controversy as it resulted in such heavy taxation as to cause suffering.
He is know as the pope who excommunicated both Elizabeth I of England and Henry IV of France.
His reforms on church administration resulted in limiting the College of Cardinals to seventy (six cardinal-bishops, fifty cardinal-priests, and fourteen cardinal-deacons) [3] ; he mooted radical changes to the constitution of the Jesuits of whom he was suspicious however death prevented the execution of these changes. In 1589 the Editio Sixtina revision of the Vulgate began. [1]
His Bull "Immensa aeterni Dei", of 11 February, 1588 established 15 permanent congregations: (1) of the Inquisition; (2) of the Segnatura; (3) for the Establishment of Churches; (4) of Rites and Ceremonies; (5) of the Index of Forbidden Books; (6) of the Council of Trent (7); of the Regulars; (8) of the Bishops; (9) of the Vatican Press; (10) of the Annona, for the provisioning of Rome and the provinces; (11) of the Navy; (12) of the Public Welfare; (13) of the Sapienza; (14) of Roads, Bridges, and Waters; (15) of State Consultations. These congregations enabled the administration of the Holy See to run more efficiently without reducing the authority of the pope. [3]
As a significant person in the Counter Reformation he was loathed by his political subjects. He was known to be impulsive, obstinate, and autocratic. He was a hard worker who slept little and undertook great enterprises with energy and determination. He turned a bankrupt treasury into one where funds were administered with competence resulting in a surplus of five million crowns at his death.
He died aged 69 in Rome, Papal States on 27 August 1590.
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Categories: 16th Century | Catholic Popes | Notables