Pope Leo XI

Pope Leo XI
Papacy began	1 April 1605
Papacy ended	27 April 1605
Predecessor	Clement VIII
Successor	Paul V
Orders
Ordination	22 July 1567 by Antonio Altoviti
Consecration	March 1573 by Francisco Pacheco de Villena (Toledo)
Created Cardinal	12 December 1583 by Pope Sixtus V
Personal details
Birth name	Alessandro Ottaviano de' Medici
Born	(1535-06-02)2 June 1535 Florence, Duchy of Florence
Died	27 April 1605(1605-04-27) (aged 69) Rome, Papal States
Previous post	Bishop of Pistoia (1573) Archbishop of Florence (1574-1596) Cardinal-Priest of Santi Quirico e Giulitta (1583-1591) Cardinal-Priest of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (1591-1592) Cardinal-Priest of Santa Prassede (1592-1594) Cardinal-Priest of San Pietro in Vincoli (1594-1600) Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars (1598-1605) Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria in Trastevere (1600) Cardinal-Bishop of Albano (1600-1602) Cardinal-Bishop of Palestrina (1602-1605)
Coat of arms
Other popes named Leo

Pope Leo XI (2 June 1535 – 27 April 1605), born Alessandro Ottaviano de' Medici, was Pope from 1 to 27 April 1605. His pontificate is one of the briefest in history having lasted under a month. He hails from the prominent House of Medici originating from Florence.^[1]

Biography

Early life

Alessandro Ottoviano de' Medici was born in Florence^[2] as the son of Francesca Salviati and Ottaviano. He was the great-nephew of Pope Leo X. Alessandro's father died when he was a child and he was home schooled by a Dominican priest, Vincenzo Ercolano.^[3]

Medici felt the call to the priesthood but his mother opposed his vocation since he was the only male in the family. To discourage this, she sent him to the court of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, who knighted him as a knight of San Stefano. He later travelled to Rome in 1560 where he commenced a lifelong friendship and collaboration with Philip Neri, future saint. It was Neri who predicted that he would ascend to the pontificate. Medici's mother died in 1566 at which point he continued his studies to become a priest. This led to his ordination on 22 July 1567.^[4]

Priesthood

Tomb of Leo XI in St. Peter's Basilica, by Alessandro Algardi.

Alessandro served as the Florentine ambassador to Pope Pius V from 1569 to 1584 and was later appointed by Pope Gregory XIII as the Bishop of Pistoia in 1573. In March 1573 after the appointment he received episcopal consecration in Rome. He was later made the Archbishop of Florence in 1574.^[5]

Medici was elevated into the cardinalate in 1583 and Pope Sixtus V made the Cardinal-Priest of Santi Quirico e Giulitta: a title he received on 9 January 1584. It was a titular church reverted from its previous name of San Ciriaco alle Terme Diocleziane. In the period after this, he would opt for other titular churches.^[2][6]

In 1596 Pope Clement VIII sent him as the papal legate to France where Maria de' Medici was queen. He remained there until 1598 when he received word of his appointment as the Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars.^[7]

Pontificate

Papal election

On 14 March 1605, eleven days after the death of Clement VIII, 62 cardinals entered the conclave. Prominent among the candidates for the papacy were the great historian Cesare Baronius and the famous Jesuit controversialist Robert Bellarmine, future saint.

But Pietro Aldobrandini, the leader of the Italian party among the cardinals, allied with the French cardinals and brought about the election of Alessandro against the express wish of King Philip III of Spain. King Henry IV of France is said to have spent 300,000 écus in the promotion of Alessandro's candidacy.^[8]

On 1 April 1605, Cardinal Alessandro de' Medici was elected as pope. He chose to be called Leo XI in honor of his uncle Pope Leo X.^[2] He was crowned on 10 April 1605 by the protodeacon, Cardinal Francesco Sforza and he took possession of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran on 17 April 1605.

Death

When he was elected, Leo XI was almost seventy years of age, and he died twenty seven days later.^[9] His death came as a result of fatigue and cold in the ceremony of taking possession of the Basilica of St John Lateran. He was called Papa Lampo ("Lightning Pope") because his papacy was so short.

See also

• List of popes
• List of popes from the Medici family
• List of popes by length of reign

References

Other websites

Media related to Leo XI at Wikimedia Commons

•  "Pope Leo XI". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913. 
• "Leo XI" in Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911
• Catholic Hierarchy, Pope Leo XI
• Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, Cardinal Medici
• Leo XI at St Peter's Basilica

Popes of the Catholic Church List of popes canonised Tombs extant non-extant Antipope Pope emeritus Papal resignation Pope-elect 1st–4th centuries Peter Linus Anacletus Clement I Evaristus Alexander I Sixtus I Telesphorus Hyginus Pius I Anicetus Soter Eleuterus Victor I Zephyrinus Callixtus I Urban I Pontian Anterus Fabian Cornelius Lucius I Stephen I Sixtus II Dionysius Felix I Eutychian Caius Marcellinus Marcellus I Eusebius Miltiades Sylvester I Mark Julius I Liberius Damasus I Siricius Anastasius I 5th–8th centuries Innocent I Zosimus Boniface I Celestine I Sixtus III Leo I Hilarius Simplicius Felix III Gelasius I Anastasius II Symmachus Hormisdas John I Felix IV Boniface II John II Agapetus I Silverius Vigilius Pelagius I John III Benedict I Pelagius II Gregory I Sabinian Boniface III Boniface IV Adeodatus I Boniface V Honorius I Severinus John IV Theodore I Martin I Eugene I Vitalian Adeodatus II Donus Agatho Leo II Benedict II John V Conon Sergius I John VI John VII Sisinnius Constantine Gregory II Gregory III Zachary Stephen II Paul I Stephen III Adrian I Leo III 9th–12th centuries Stephen IV Paschal I Eugene II Valentine Gregory IV Sergius II Leo IV Benedict III Nicholas I Adrian II John VIII Marinus I Adrian III Stephen V Formosus Boniface VI Stephen VI Romanus Theodore II John IX Benedict IV Leo V Sergius III Anastasius III Lando John X Leo VI Stephen VII John XI Leo VII Stephen VIII Marinus II Agapetus II John XII Benedict V Leo VIII John XIII Benedict VI Benedict VII John XIV John XV Gregory V Sylvester II John XVII John XVIII Sergius IV Benedict VIII John XIX Benedict IX Sylvester III Benedict IX Gregory VI Clement II Benedict IX Damasus II Leo IX Victor II Stephen IX Nicholas II Alexander II Gregory VII Victor III Urban II Paschal II Gelasius II Callixtus II Honorius II Innocent II Celestine II Lucius II Eugene III Anastasius IV Adrian IV Alexander III Lucius III Urban III Gregory VIII Clement III Celestine III Innocent III 13th–16th centuries Honorius III Gregory IX Celestine IV Innocent IV Alexander IV Urban IV Clement IV Gregory X Innocent V Adrian V John XXI Nicholas III Martin IV Honorius IV Nicholas IV Celestine V Boniface VIII Benedict XI Clement V John XXII Benedict XII Clement VI Innocent VI Urban V Gregory XI Urban VI Boniface IX Innocent VII Gregory XII Martin V Eugene IV Nicholas V Callixtus III Pius II Paul II Sixtus IV Innocent VIII Alexander VI Pius III Julius II Leo X Adrian VI Clement VII Paul III Julius III Marcellus II Paul IV Pius IV Pius V Gregory XIII Sixtus V Urban VII Gregory XIV Innocent IX Clement VIII 17th–20th centuries Leo XI Paul V Gregory XV Urban VIII Innocent X Alexander VII Clement IX Clement X Innocent XI Alexander VIII Innocent XII Clement XI Innocent XIII Benedict XIII Clement XII Benedict XIV Clement XIII Clement XIV Pius VI Pius VII Leo XII Pius VIII Gregory XVI Pius IX Leo XIII Pius X Benedict XV Pius XI Pius XII John XXIII Paul VI John Paul I John Paul II 21st century Benedict XVI Francis Book Category Pope portal Catholicism portal

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