JULIUS II. (Giuliano della Rovere), pope from Nov. 1, 1503, to Feb. 1, 1513, was born at Savona in 1443. He was sent by his uncle, subsequently Sixtus IV., to be educated among the Fran ciscans, although he does not appear to have joined that order. During his uncle's pontificate, he was made bishop of Carpentras, bishop of Bologna, bishop of Vercelli, archbishop of Avignon, cardinal-priest of S. Pietro in Vincoli and of Sti. Dodici Apostoli, and cardinal-bishop of Sabina, of Frascati, and finally of Ostia and Velletri. In 1480 he was made legate to France, mainly to settle the question of the Burgundian inheritance, and he acquired an influence in the college of cardinals which became paramount dur ing the pontificate of Innocent VIII. Rivalry, however, growing up between him and Roderigo Borgia, he took refuge at Ostia after the latter's election as Alexander VI., and in 1494 went to France, where he was successful in inciting Charles VIII. to undertake the conquest of Naples. He accompanied the young king on his campaign.
During the pontificate of Alexander VI. Della Rovere remained in France, nominally in support of the pope, for whom he negotiated the treaty of 1498 with Louis XII., but in reality bitterly hostile to him. On the death of Alexander (15o3) he returned to Italy and supported the election of Pius III., who died shortly after wards. Della Rovere then won the support of Cesare Borgia and was unanimously elected pope. Julius II. repudiated the sys tem of nepotism which had flourished under Sixtus IV., Innocent VIII. and Alexander VI., and set himself with courage and deter mination to restore, consolidate and extend the temporal posses sions of the Church. By dexterous diplomacy he first succeeded (1504) in rendering it impossible for Cesare Borgia to remain in Italy. He then pacified the Romagna by reconciling the powerful houses of Orsini and Colonna.
In 1504 he concluded an alliance with France and Germany in order to oust the Venetians from Faenza, Rimini and other towns which they occupied. He freed Perugia and Bologna in the brilliant campaign of 1506. In 15o8 he concluded against Venice the famous league of Cambray with the emperor Maximilian, Louis XII. of France and Ferdinand of Aragon, and in 1509 placed the city of Venice under an interdict. By the battle of Agnadello the Italian dominion of Venice was practically lost; but as the allies were not satisfied with merely effecting his pur poses, the pope entered into a combination with the Venetians against those who immediately before had been engaged in his behalf. He absolved the Venetians in the beginning of 151o, and shortly afterwards placed the ban on France. At a synod con
vened by Louis XII. at Tours in September, the French bishops withdrew from the papal obedience and resolved, with Maxi milian's co-operation, to seek the deposition of Julius. In Nov. 1511 a council met at Pisa for this object, but without success. Julius forthwith formed the Holy league with Ferdinand of Aragon and with Venice against France, in which both Henry VIII. and the emperor ultimately joined. The French were driven out of Italy in 1512, and papal authority was once more securely established in the States immediately around Rome.
Julius had already issued, on July 18, 1511, the summons for a general council to deal with France, with the reform of the church, and with a war against the Turks. This council, the Fifth Lateran, assembled on May 3, 1512, condemned the prag matic sanction of the French church, and was still in session when Julius died. In the midst of his combats Julius never neglected his ecclesiastical duties. His bull of Jan. 14, 5505, against simony in papal elections was re-enacted by the Lateran council (Feb. 16, 1513). He condemned duelling by bull of Feb. 24, 1509. He effected some reforms in the monastic orders; urged the conversion of the sectaries in Bohemia; and sent mission aries to America, India, Abyssinia and the Congo. His govern ment of the Papal States was excellent. Julius was a generous patron of art and literature. He laid the foundation-stone of St.
Peter's (April 18, 15o6) ; he founded the Vatican museum; and he was a friend and patron of Bramante, Raphael and Michel angelo. Julius was undoubtedly one of the greatest popes since Innocent III., and it is a misfortune of the church that his temporal policy eclipsed his spiritual office. He died of a fever on Feb. 2I, 1513, and was succeeded by Leo X.
See L. Pastor, History of the Popes, vol. vi., trans. by F. I. Antrobus (1898) ; M. Creighton, History of the Papacy, vol. v. (190i) ; F. Grego rovius, Rome in the Middle Ages, vol. viii., trans. by Mrs. G. W. Ham ilton (1900-02) ; Hefele-Hergenrother, Conciliengeschichte (2nd ed. 1873-79), vol. viii., 2nd ed.; J. Klaczko, Rome et la renaissance . . .
Jules II. (1898), Eng. trans. by J. Dennie (1903) ; M. Brosch, Papst Julius II. u. die Griindung des Kirchenstaates (1878) ; A. J. Dumesnil, Histoire de Jules II. (1873) ; J. J. I. von Dellinger, Beitrdge zur polit., kirchl., u. Cultur-Geschichte der sechs letzten Jahrhunderte, vol. iii. (1882) ; A. Schulte, Die Fugger in Rom 1495-1523, mit Studien zur Gesch. des kirchlichen Finanzwesens jener Zeit (1904).