Leo X (pope)
1475 – 1521 Italian Pope (1513-1521)
Medici pope who faced Martin Luther and the start of the Reformation.
- Religion
- Catholic; Bishop of Rome
- Affiliations
- The papacy; House of Medici
Leo X, a son of Lorenzo de Medici, is said to have remarked, Let us enjoy the papacy since God has given it to us. His sale of indulgences to fund the new St. Peter's provoked Martin Luther, who nailed up his Ninety-five Theses in 1517. Leo condemned Luther in the bull Exsurge Domine and excommunicated him in 1521, but the Protestant Reformation was already spreading beyond his control. His lavish spending drained the papal treasury.
Connections
- rival of Martin Luther — Condemned and excommunicated him in 1520-1521.
In the timeline
- 1513 Giovanni de' Medici elected Pope Leo X central figure
- 1521 Pope Leo X grants Henry VIII the title Defender of the Faith central figure