![]() ![]() In his territorial aggrandizement of the Papal States, Sixtus' niece's son Cardinal Raffaele Riario, for whom the Palazzo della Cancelleria was constructed, was a leader in the failed "Pazzi conspiracy" of 1478 to assassinate both Lorenzo de' Medici and his brother Giuliano and replace them in Florence with Sixtus IV's other nephew, Girolamo Riario. Francesco Salviati, Archbishop of Pisa and a main organizer of the plot, was hanged on the walls of the Florentine Palazzo della Signoria. The secular fortunes of the Della Rovere family began when Sixtus invested his nephew Giovanni with the lordship of Senigallia and arranged his marriage to the daughter of Federico III da Montefeltro, duke of Urbino from this union came a line of Della Rovere dukes of Urbino that lasted until the line expired in 1631. Six of the thirty-four cardinals that he created were his nephews. However, Pietro died prematurely in 1474, and his role passed to Giuliano della Rovere. Pietro became one of the richest men in Rome and was entrusted with Pope Sixtus' foreign policy. In the fresco by Melozzo da Forlì he is accompanied by his Della Rovere and Riario nephews, not all of whom were made cardinals: the protonotary apostolic Pietro Riario (on his right), the future Pope Julius II standing before him, and Girolamo Riario and Giovanni della Rovere behind the kneeling Platina, author of the first humanist history of the Popes. His nephew Pietro Riario also benefited from his nepotism. Sixtus IV sought to strengthen his position by surrounding himself with relatives and friends. For the remainder of his pontificate, Sixtus turned to temporal issues and dynastic considerations. However, after the conquest of Smyrna, the fleet disbanded. Some fruitless attempts were made towards unification with the Greek Church. One of his first acts was to declare a renewed crusade against the Ottoman Turks in Smyrna. Upon being elected pope Della Rovere adopted the name Sixtus – a name that had not been used since the 5th century. ![]() Before his papal election, Cardinal della Rovere was renowned for his unworldliness and had even written learned treatises entitled On the Blood of Christ and On the Power of God. His pious reputation was one of the deciding factors that prompted the College of Cardinals to elect him pope upon the unexpected death of Paul II at the age of fifty-four. In 1467, he was appointed Cardinal by Pope Paul II with the titular church being the Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli. In 1464, Della Rovere was elected Minister General of the Franciscan order at the age of 50. He went on to lecture at Padua and many other Italian universities. He was born in Celle Ligure, a town near Savona.Īs a young man Della Rovere joined the Franciscan Order, an unlikely choice for a political career, and his intellectual qualities were revealed while he was studying philosophy and theology at the University of Pavia. Biographyįrancesco was born to a family of modest means from Liguria, Italy, the son of Leonardo della Rovere and Luchina Monleoni. He was famed for his nepotism and was personally involved in the infamous Pazzi Conspiracy. Sixtus furthered the agenda of the Spanish Inquisition and annulled the decrees of the Council of Constance. He also established the Vatican Archives. His accomplishments as pope included building the Sistine Chapel the group of artists that he brought together introduced the Early Renaissance into Rome with the first masterpieces of the city's new artistic age. Pope Sixtus IV (Latin: Xystus IV 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was Pope from 9 August 1471 to his death in 1484. ![]()
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