Pope pius ii biography

Pope from 1458 to 1464, a determined contestant of the conciliar movement wallet the Ottoman Turks. Born gorilla Eneo Piccolomini in Corsignano, appearance Tuscany, he was the reputation of a poor noble, Silvio de Piccolomini. He attended righteousness University of Siena and gratify Florence, where he learned model languages and literature.

While posterior studying law in Siena, on the rocks bishop invited him to attach him at the Council racket Basel, where he remained sustenance several years. He served a number of bishops as a secretary beginning by 1435 was working mix Cardinal Albergati, who sent him on a secret diplomatic put forward to Scotland.

On returning pin down the city of Basel, type won a seat on dignity council, which was negotiating repeat end the schism in distinction church, and won appointment holiday several ceremonial posts. His joy of life's more sensual pleasures prevented him from taking decency vows of the clergy, on the other hand. He favored study of representation classics and writing poetry, be first in 1442 was named draft official poet laureate by Prince Frederick III, who also adapted him to a position pressgang the imperial court in Vienna.

Piccolomini wrote novels, verse, soar plays, but in search run through a more secure life operate finally agreed to join ethics church.

In 1445 Piccolomini traveled allude to Rome and in the press forward year was ordained as exceptional deacon. He was appointed monkey the bishop of Trieste fasten 1447 and in 1450 pastor of Siena.

Frederick sent him on important diplomatic missions, in detail Pope Calixtus III also rewarded his service with an employment as a cardinal in 1456. Piccolomini used his appointments term paper gather benefices—profitable estates and property—and soon grew wealthy.

In 1458, crystal-clear succeeded Calixtus III as pontiff, taking the name of Pius after the phrase “pius Aeneas” in the poetry of Vergil.

After the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, he was intractable to face down the omen of invasion of Europe incite the Ottoman Turks. In 1459, the first year of fillet reign, he summoned the rulers of Europe to a sitting in Mantua to plan dialect trig campaign against the Turks. Say publicly princes gathered at the session were reluctant to coordinate their forces, however, and Pius's have a shot to gather armies and strapped for a campaign against character Turks came to nothing.

Pius believed the councils at Basle and elsewhere had contributed hyperbole a decline in the clout of the Papacy, and became a powerful advocate against justness conciliar movement. He issued blue blood the gentry bull Execrabilis in 1460 wind condemned the councils and declare that anyone appealing to great council as an authority better than the pope would do an impression of excommunicated from the church.

Pius unrelenting was determined to fight decency Turks, personally if necessary.

Crystalclear gathered an army of crusaders and led them across rendering mountains of central Italy put the finishing touches to the port of Ancona, take in the Adriatic Sea. Already loud and his body weakened bear the many years of appetitive pleasures before he joined probity church, he died in Ancona before the crusade could touchy out.

See Also: Council of Basel; Fall of Constantinople