PAUL. The name of five popes. PAUL I., Pope 757-767, the brother of Stephen II., whom he succeeded. He was the candidate of the Frankish party. and as Pope maintained close relations with Pepin I., whose help he needed both against the Lombards and against the Greek Emperor, who had not given up his claims to the exarchate and the Pentapolis. Pepin, however, was constant in his support of the Pope, and assured him a fairly peaceable pos session of the ecclesiastical territory.—PAUL II., Pope 1464-71, Pietro Barba. He was born at Venice in 1417, the nephew of Eugeuius IV., to whom lie owed his introduction to an ecclesiasti cal career. He was made a cardinal in 1440, and held a position of great influence under Nicholas V. and Calixtus III. Pins 11.. however, did not regard him so favorably, and his election to the Papacy as successor to Pius was largely due to the older cardinals, who had not been in sympathy with that pontiff. At the beginning of his reign lie tried to form an alliance of Christian sovereigns against the Turks, but the circumstances of the time frustrated his purpose. He was obliged to oppose the claims of the French King, Louis XI., to absolute power. and demanded of him the repeal of the Pragmatic Sanction. He at tempted to suppress the non-Christian or prop erly so-called humanistic Renaissance, especially by the dissolution of the Roman Academy, which had become a meeting-place for the enemies of religion, and by severe penalties against the scholars who combined pagan doctrine with pagan immorality.—PAIJ. HI., Pope 1534-49, Alessandro Farnese. He was born in I468. was
educated in P,oine by Pomponio Leto, and went to Florence. entering into close relations with the Medici. Alexander VI. made him a cardinal in 1493: later lie became Bishop of Ostia and dean of the Sacred College. Ile held various important offices, twice representing the Pope during his absence as legate in Rome. Ile strongly advocated the calling of a general coun cil, and was a member of the commission ap pointed by Clement VIE. to consider the ques tion. After his elevation to the Papacy, lie vig orously pursued the reforming policy he had always advocated. He first summoned the coun cil to meet at Mantua in 1536. then at Vicenza in 1538. and again at Mantua in 1542; but each time its assembly was prevented by the discord between Charles V. and Francis I. It finally met at Trent in 1545. (See TRENT, COUNCIL oF.) Against Henry VIII. of England he took decisive steps. finally issuing in 1538 the bull of excommunication and deposition prepared three years earlier. He took vigorous steps also for the suppression of Protestantism in Italy, reconstructing the Inquisition and establishing a strict censorship of books. (See INDEx.) The reproach of nepotism is brought against him. In 1545 he is to lie credited with an enlightened patronage of letters and art. He made his nat ural son, Pietro Luigi Farnese. Duke of Parma and Piacenza, having appointed Michelangelo architect in chief of the Vatican and of Saint Peter's. and provided for many great works.