Leo X

Leo X 1475-1521, pope (1513-21), a Florentine named Giovanni de' Medici; successor of Julius II. He was the son of Lorenzo de' Medici, was made a cardinal in his boyhood, and was head of his family before he was 30 (see Medici ). Leo was not a competent ruler; he was a good, pious man, a dilettante of letters and art, but not greatly interested in the advancement of the church. His chief fame rests on his patronage of Raphael, on the continuation of St. Peter's by Bramante, and on his literary circle, including Cardinals Bembo and Bibbiena and many others. The Fifth Lateran Council , called with the hope that it would effect reforms, achieved little. The Protestant Reformation began when Martin Luther posted (1517) his famous theses against the sale of indulgences, an activity practiced by Leo to provide income for his building program. Leo excommunicated the reformers, notably with the bull Exsurge Domine (1520), but he failed to deal effectively with the trouble. In politics he brought the papacy temporary hegemony in Italy by dexterity in diplomatic maneuvers. Leo granted Henry VIII of England the title Defender of the Faith ( Defensor Fidei ). He was succeeded by Adrian VI.

Leo X (1475–1521) Pope (1513–21), b. Giovanni de' Medici, son of Lorenzo de' Medici. He continued the artistic schemes of his predecessor, Julius II, and presided over the Fifth Lateran Council. In 1517, Martin Luther published his theses at Wittenberg. Leo's excommunication of Luther in 1521 marks the beginning of the Reformation.

Leo X (1475–1521). Pope from 9 Mar. 1513. As pope he showed himself a patron of learning and of the arts, but wholly failed to appreciate the strength of Luther's convictions (he issued the bull Exsurge Domine in 1520) or the degree of hostility felt in Germany towards the taxes he had demanded to finance a crusade against the Turks. His period of office plunged the papacy deeply into debt, through its extravagance.