Pius III

Pope Pius III

Pius III , originally Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini (born May 29, 1439 in Siena , † October 18, 1503 in Rome ), was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from September 22, 1503 to October 18, 1503 .

origin

Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini was born in Tuscany as the second son of the lawyer Giovanni de Todeschini and his wife Laodomia Piccolomini, a sister of Pope Pius II . To this day, the Italian communities of Pienza , Siena and Sarteano argue about which of them is the birthplace of the Pope. The majority of historical sources, however, come from Siena.

Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini had five brothers and two sisters. Early on he was favored by his uncle, who later became Pope Pius II. He encouraged his humble nephew, who was growing up in a humble background, through a careful upbringing and had planned a spiritual career for him.

Church career

Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini studied in Vienna and Perugia law . He finished his studies with the academic degree of Dr. jur. can. in Perugia. His uncle Pope Pius II appointed him after his papal election as Canon of Siena and in 1459 as Bishop of Siena. On March 5, 1460 Pope Pius II elevated him to cardinal .

During Pope Pius II's trip to the opening of the planned Turkish Crusade (1464), Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini was entrusted with the administration of the Papal States. Through the contacts in Vienna and supported by his uncle Pius II, he learned the German language. This was to decisively advance his career in the curia, and many useful contacts developed with Germany and the Habsburgs . After the death of his uncle under the pontificate of Popes Paul II , Sixtus IV and Innocent VIII, he was a representative of German interests in the curia several times . His contemporaries therefore also called him the Protector Nationis Germanicae .

In 1471 he traveled as a papal legate to the Reichstag in Regensburg , where he was able to refresh many old contacts, including the Habsburgs . In 1494 he was on a diplomatic mission to the court of King Charles VIII of France .

Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini was a great art lover and patron . In June 1502 , for example, he commissioned Michelangelo to create 15 statues for the Piccolomini altar in Siena Cathedral (of which only five were made). In 1502 he also commissioned Pinturicchio with ten monumental frescoes in the Libreria Piccolomini , which he had previously built and furnished at his own expense.

pontificate

Coat of arms of Pope Pius III., Modern tracing

On September 22, 1503, he was elected the new Pope by the conclave . The name of Pius III. he chose in memory of his uncle. Pope Pius III stood above the contending parties and can be seen as a deliberately chosen transition candidate; he also suffered from gout, and his unstable health led to the expectation of a short pontificate - with which the cardinals were to be proved right. The French court had done a lot to ensure that the French Cardinal Georges d'Amboise succeeded Alexander VI. was chosen. However, this choice was thwarted by Cardinal Ascanio Sforza , who, in the interests of the Italian ruling family of the Sforza, neither wanted a Pope of French descent nor had an interest in the Italian Giuliano della Rovere emerging from the conclave as the new Pope.

As early as October 13, 1503, Pius III. however bedridden; he was tormented by gout and was unable to exercise his office actively. He died as a result of the gout on October 18, 1503. Due to the shortness of his pontificate , rumors arose that the Pope had been poisoned, but from today's perspective this suspicion is unfounded.

Pius III stood out sharply from some of its predecessors because of its personal integrity. His election gave rise to legitimate hopes that he could initiate a reform of the head and members of the Church. But his choice came too late. In the pontificate, which lasted only 26 days, he could not give the church a decisive turn. He found his final resting place next to Pope Pius II in Sant'Andrea della Valle . Pius III had 12 children.

literature

• Matteo Sanfilippo:  Pio III. In: Massimo Bray (ed.): Enciclopedia dei Papi. Volume 3:  Innocenzo VIII, Giovanni Paolo II. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 2000, pp. 22–31 ( treccani.it ).
• Matteo Sanfilippo:  Pio III, papa. In: Raffaele Romanelli (ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 83:  Piacentini – Pio V. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 2015.
• Christof Dahm:  Pius III .. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 7, Bautz, Herzberg 1994, ISBN 3-88309-048-4 , Sp. 661-664.

Web links

Commons : Pius III.  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Entry in the Catholic Encyclopedia , Robert Appleton Company, New York 1913.
• Literature by and about Pius III. in the catalog of the German National Library
• Works by and about Pius III.  in the German Digital Library
• Entry to Pius III. on catholic-hierarchy.org

predecessor	Office	successor
Alexander VI.	Pope 1503	Julius II