Innocent IX | |
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Bishop of Rome | |
![]() Portrait engraving by Agostino Carracci, 1591 | |
Church | Catholic Church |
Papacy began | 29 October 1591 |
Papacy ended | 30 December 1591 |
Predecessor | Gregory XIV |
Successor | Clement VIII |
Previous post(s) |
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Orders | |
Ordination | 11 March 1544 |
Consecration | 1560 |
Created cardinal | 12 December 1583 by Gregory XIII |
Personal details | |
Born | Giovanni Antonio Facchinetti 20 July 1519 |
Died | 30 December 1591 Rome, Papal States | (aged 72)
Education | University of Bologna |
Coat of arms | ![]() |
Other popes named Innocent |
Pope Innocent IX (Latin: Innocentius IX; Italian: Innocenzo IX; 20 July 1519 – 30 December 1591), born Giovanni Antonio Facchinetti,[1] was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 October to 30 December 1591.
Prior to his short papacy, he had been a canon lawyer, diplomat, and chief administrator during the reign of Pope Gregory XIV (r. 1590–1591).
He entered the service of the influential Cardinal Alessandro Farnese. As papal legate to Venice, he helped negotiate the formation of the Holy League, an alliance of Spanish and Italian maritime powers to challenge the Ottoman Empire’s control of the eastern Mediterranean, and which resulted in victory at the Battle of Lepanto.