Pope Pius IV


Pius IV
Bishop of Rome
Portrait by Scipione Pulzone, c. 1560s
ChurchCatholic Church
Papacy began25 December 1559
Papacy ended9 December 1565
PredecessorPaul IV
SuccessorPius V
Previous post(s)
Orders
Consecration20 April 1546
by Filippo Archinto
Created cardinal8 April 1549
by Paul III
Personal details
Born
Giovanni Angelo Medici

31 March 1499
Died9 December 1565(1565-12-09) (aged 66)
Rome, Papal States
Coat of armsPius IV's coat of arms
Other popes named Pius
Papal styles of
Pope Pius IV
Reference styleHis Holiness
Spoken styleYour Holiness
Religious styleHoly Father
Posthumous styleNone

Pope Pius IV (Italian: Pio IV; 31 March 1499 – 9 December 1565), born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 December 1559 to his death, in December 1565. Born in Milan, his family considered itself a branch of the House of Medici and used the same coat of arms. Although modern historians have found no proof of this connection, the Medici of Florence recognized the claims of the Medici of Milan in the early 16th century.[1][2]

Pope Paul III appointed Medici Archbishop of Ragusa, and sent him on diplomatic missions to the Holy Roman Empire and Hungary. He presided over the final session of the Council of Trent. His nephew, Cardinal Charles Borromeo, was a close adviser. As pope, Pius IV initiated a number of building projects in Rome, including one to improve the water supply.

  1. ^ "Treccani - la cultura italiana | Treccani, il portale del sapere".
  2. ^ "The List of Popes." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 4 September 2014