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Home , Della Rovere, Giovanni Sforza, Pope Alexander VI, Pope Callixtus III, Pope Julius II, Pope Leo X

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IntroductionIntroduction toto ChurchChurch HistoryHistory st rd TheThe AncientAncient ChurchChurch AD 11st-3-3rd centuriescenturies th th TheThe RiseRise ofof ChristendomChristendom AD 44th-5-5th centuriescenturies th th TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges AD 66th-10-10th centuriescenturies th th TheThe AgeAge ofof CrusadesCrusades AD 1111th-13-13th centuriescenturies th th TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AD 1414th-15-15th centuriescenturies Welcome to the Renaissance Turnovers... The Black Death and a Century of War Wobbling Out of Control Falling Into Spiritual Collapse (part 2) TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 14921492 ThisThis waswas aa hugehuge yearyear forfor SpainSpain forfor 33 reasonsreasons FernandoFernando saidsaid thatthat 14921492 waswas thethe mostmost importantimportant yearyear ofof hishis reign,reign, becausebecause itit waswas thethe yearyear thatthat theythey finallyfinally completedcompleted thethe 780-year780-year ReconquistaReconquista ThisThis waswas alsoalso thethe yearyear thatthat FernandoFernando andand IsabelIsabel sentsent ColumbusColumbus westwardwestward toto thethe NewNew WorldWorld SpanishSpanish CardinalCardinal RodrigoRodrigo BorgiaBorgia becamebecame thethe newnew PopePope AlexanderAlexander VIVI... TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— YouYou rememberremember thethe BorjaBorja familyfamily fromfrom Aragón,Aragón, right?right? PopePope CallixtusCallixtus IIIIII ((AKA AlfonsAlfons dede Borja)Borja) elevatedelevated hishis nephew,nephew, Rodrigo,Rodrigo, toto cardinal,cardinal, anglingangling himhim towardtoward hishis ownown papacypapacy WhileWhile justjust aa cardinal,cardinal, RodrigoRodrigo struckstruck upup aa sexualsexual relationshiprelationship withwith GiovannaGiovanna deidei CattaneiCattanei (whom(whom hehe thenthen marriedmarried offoff toto churchchurch officialofficial DomenicoDomenico d'Arignanod'Arignano soso thatthat sheshe couldcould continuecontinue toto livelive nearnear him)him) (NOTE: Giovanna—AKA "Vannozza" —was no stranger to affairs with cardinals, since she had previously been in a sexual relationship with Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere... the future Pope Julius II) TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— YouYou rememberremember thethe BorjaBorja familyfamily fromfrom Aragón,Aragón, right?right? PopePope CallixtusCallixtus IIIIII ((AKA AlfonsAlfons dede Borja)Borja) elevatedelevated hishis nephew,nephew, Rodrigo,Rodrigo, toto cardinal,cardinal, anglingangling himhim towardtoward hishis ownown papacypapacy WhileWhile justjust aa cardinal,cardinal, RodrigoRodrigo struckstruck upup aa sexualsexual relationshiprelationship withwith GiovannaGiovanna deidei CattaneiCattanei Giovanna bore Cardinal Rodrigo four children: Cèsar (AKA “Cesare”)—a military conqueror and despot who was elevated to cardinal when his father became Pope Cèsar had one legitimate daughter, and 11 illegitimate children Always the shrewd politician, he invited his rivals to a “let's bury the hatchet” New Year's Eve celebration in Senigallia where he had them all strangled He was so ruthless that later writer Friedrich Nietzsche considered him the perfect example of the Antichrist who should have become Pope in order to show Christendom how a wolf would have shepherded the sheep TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— YouYou rememberremember thethe BorjaBorja familyfamily fromfrom Aragón,Aragón, right?right? PopePope CallixtusCallixtus IIIIII ((AKA AlfonsAlfons dede Borja)Borja) elevatedelevated hishis nephew,nephew, Rodrigo,Rodrigo, toto cardinal,cardinal, anglingangling himhim towardtoward hishis ownown papacypapacy WhileWhile justjust aa cardinal,cardinal, RodrigoRodrigo struckstruck upup aa sexualsexual relationshiprelationship withwith GiovannaGiovanna deidei CattaneiCattanei Giovanna bore Cardinal Rodrigo four children: Cèsar (AKA “Cesare”) Juan (AKA “Giovanni”)—who married into becoming the powerful Duke of Gandía He was murdered one night in 1497 (by Cèsar, who wanted to remove him to further his own military career or else by their little brother, Jofré, who was jealous because Juan was sleeping with Jofré's wife, Sancha) (but then again, Cèsar was sleeping with Sancha, too...... as was Rodrigo—who, by that time, had been named Pope Alexander VI) TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— YouYou rememberremember thethe BorjaBorja familyfamily fromfrom Aragón,Aragón, right?right? PopePope CallixtusCallixtus IIIIII ((AKA AlfonsAlfons dede Borja)Borja) elevatedelevated hishis nephew,nephew, Rodrigo,Rodrigo, toto cardinal,cardinal, anglingangling himhim towardtoward hishis ownown papacypapacy WhileWhile justjust aa cardinal,cardinal, RodrigoRodrigo struckstruck upup aa sexualsexual relationshiprelationship withwith GiovannaGiovanna deidei CattaneiCattanei Giovanna bore Cardinal Rodrigo four children: Cèsar (AKA “Cesare”) Juan (AKA “Giovanni”) Jofré (AKA “Gioffre”) Lucrècia—whom the now-Pope Alexander married off to the influential Giovanni Sforza when she was only 13 When Sforza fell from power, Alexander had the marriage annulled, claiming that the marriage was never consummated Which was unfortunate, since she gave birth to a son that same year The actual father was either Cèsar or Alexander himself A Papal bull officially named the child her son and half-brother TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— YouYou rememberremember thethe BorjaBorja familyfamily fromfrom Aragón,Aragón, right?right? PopePope CallixtusCallixtus IIIIII ((AKA AlfonsAlfons dede Borja)Borja) elevatedelevated hishis nephew,nephew, Rodrigo,Rodrigo, toto cardinal,cardinal, anglingangling himhim towardtoward hishis ownown papacypapacy WhileWhile justjust aa cardinal,cardinal, RodrigoRodrigo struckstruck upup aa sexualsexual relationshiprelationship withwith GiovannaGiovanna deidei CattaneiCattanei Giovanna bore Cardinal Rodrigo four children: Cèsar (AKA “Cesare”) Juan (AKA “Giovanni”) Jofré (AKA “Gioffre”) Lucrècia—whom the now-Pope Alexander married off to the influential Giovanni Sforza when she was only 13 She was then married off to the wealthy Alfonso of Aragón at age 18 (Alexander threatened Federico of Naples—Alfonso's king—with excommunication if he wouldn't force the marriage between them, since Federico's daughter, Carlotta, had refused to marry Cèsar) TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— YouYou rememberremember thethe BorjaBorja familyfamily fromfrom Aragón,Aragón, right?right? PopePope CallixtusCallixtus IIIIII ((AKA AlfonsAlfons dede Borja)Borja) elevatedelevated hishis nephew,nephew, Rodrigo,Rodrigo, toto cardinal,cardinal, anglingangling himhim towardtoward hishis ownown papacypapacy WhileWhile justjust aa cardinal,cardinal, RodrigoRodrigo struckstruck upup aa sexualsexual relationshiprelationship withwith GiovannaGiovanna deidei CattaneiCattanei Giovanna bore Cardinal Rodrigo four children: Cèsar (AKA “Cesare”) Juan (AKA “Giovanni”) Jofré (AKA “Gioffre”) Lucrècia—whom the now-Pope Alexander married off to the influential Giovanni Sforza when she was only 13 She was then married off to the wealthy Alfonso of Aragón at age 18 She had one son by Alfonso (no, really—he really was the father) But then he ran afoul of Cèsar's political plans, so Cèsar had him murdered TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— YouYou rememberremember thethe BorjaBorja familyfamily fromfrom Aragón,Aragón, right?right? PopePope CallixtusCallixtus IIIIII ((AKA AlfonsAlfons dede Borja)Borja) elevatedelevated hishis nephew,nephew, Rodrigo,Rodrigo, toto cardinal,cardinal, anglingangling himhim towardtoward hishis ownown papacypapacy WhileWhile justjust aa cardinal,cardinal, RodrigoRodrigo struckstruck upup aa sexualsexual relationshiprelationship withwith GiovannaGiovanna deidei CattaneiCattanei Giovanna bore Cardinal Rodrigo four children: Cèsar (AKA “Cesare”) Juan (AKA “Giovanni”) Jofré (AKA “Gioffre”) Lucrècia—whom the now-Pope Alexander married off to the influential Giovanni Sforza when she was only 13 She was then married off to the wealthy Alfonso of Aragón at age 18 So she was then married off to Alfonso d'Este, the Duke of Ferrara, at age 22 But she had more sex with his young brother, Francesco, than with him (actually, she was famous for having a ton of lovers, so it's really hard to tell who all really fathered her next six children) TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance

DoesDoes itit surprisesurprise anyoneanyone herehere thatthat thisthis familyfamily becamebecame thethe basisbasis forfor aa sleazysleazy ShowtimeShowtime TVTV series?series? TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— YouYou rememberremember thethe BorjaBorja familyfamily fromfrom Aragón,Aragón, right?right? PopePope CallixtusCallixtus IIIIII ((AKA AlfonsAlfons dede Borja)Borja) elevatedelevated hishis nephew,nephew, Rodrigo,Rodrigo, toto cardinal,cardinal, anglingangling himhim towardtoward hishis ownown papacypapacy WhileWhile justjust aa cardinal,cardinal, RodrigoRodrigo struckstruck upup aa sexualsexual relationshiprelationship withwith GiovannaGiovanna deidei CattaneiCattanei Supposedly,Supposedly, AlexanderAlexander heldheld orgiesorgies inin thethe VaticanVatican itself—includingitself—including aa notoriousnotorious “Banquet“Banquet ofof Chestnuts”Chestnuts” onon OctoberOctober 30,30, 15011501 Fifty prostitutes were brought in to service the cardinals, while the Pope and Cèsar officiated Prizes were given out to the cardinals who could successfully copulate the most times Alexander's own master of ceremonies said “There is no longer any crime or shameful act that does not take place in public in Rome and in the house of the pontiff... Who could fail to be horrified by the account of the terrible, monstrous acts of lechery that are committed openly in his house, with no respect for God or man? Rapes and acts of incest are countless, his sons and daughters are utterly depraved, great throngs of courtesans frequent Saint Peter’s Palace, pimps, brothels and whorehouses are to be found everywhere—a most shameful situation...” TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— YouYou rememberremember thethe BorjaBorja familyfamily fromfrom Aragón,Aragón, right?right? PopePope CallixtusCallixtus IIIIII ((AKA AlfonsAlfons dede Borja)Borja) elevatedelevated hishis nephew,nephew, Rodrigo,Rodrigo, toto cardinal,cardinal, anglingangling himhim towardtoward hishis ownown papacypapacy WhileWhile justjust aa cardinal,cardinal, RodrigoRodrigo struckstruck upup aa sexualsexual relationshiprelationship withwith GiovannaGiovanna deidei CattaneiCattanei Supposedly,Supposedly, AlexanderAlexander heldheld orgiesorgies inin thethe VaticanVatican itself—includingitself—including aa notoriousnotorious “Banquet“Banquet ofof Chestnuts”Chestnuts” onon OctoberOctober 30,30, 15011501 Fifty prostitutes were brought in to service the cardinals, while the Pope and Cèsar officiated This is who was in charge of the Church of Jesus Christ at the turn of the century... (NOTE: On the plus side, he was a patron of the arts—which was all the rage among insanelyinsanely richrich peoplepeople atat thethe time—andtime—and engaged Michelangelo Buonarroti as an architect to rebuild St. Peter's Basilica) And speaking of rich guys hiring great artists... TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 14921492 PopePope AlexanderAlexander VIVI camecame toto powerpower 14941494 LeonardoLeonardo dada VinciVinci paintedpainted TheThe LastLast SupperSupper LudovicoLudovico SforzaSforza (Duke(Duke ofof Milan)Milan) commissionedcommissioned 44-year-old44-year-old dada VinciVinci toto paintpaint thethe muralmural inin thethe monasterymonastery ofof SantaSanta MariaMaria delledelle GrazieGrazie inin MilanMilan HeHe decideddecided notnot toto paintpaint itit asas aa fresco,fresco, butbut toto paintpaint itit onon thethe dry,dry, plasteredplastered wallwall AsAs aa result,result, thethe paintingpainting didn'tdidn't weatherweather thethe humidityhumidity well,well, andand hashas deteriorateddeteriorated badlybadly SoSo thisthis isis dada Vinci'sVinci's realreal LastLast Supper...Supper... TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— ThereThere havehave beenbeen severalseveral attemptsattempts atat restorationrestoration overover thethe centuries,centuries, butbut that'sthat's notnot withoutwithout itsits controversiescontroversies ExpertsExperts havehave arguedargued thatthat onlyonly 20%20% ofof thethe restorationrestoration representsrepresents thethe workwork ofof dada Vinci,Vinci, andand 80%80% thethe workwork ofof thethe restorerrestorer TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— ThereThere havehave beenbeen severalseveral attemptsattempts atat restorationrestoration overover thethe centuries,centuries, butbut that'sthat's notnot withoutwithout itsits controversiescontroversies DaDa VinciVinci himselfhimself waswas disgusteddisgusted thatthat thethe workwork hadhad alreadyalready begunbegun toto crumblecrumble byby thethe timetime hehe hadhad finishedfinished itit InIn fact,fact, hehe waswas disgusteddisgusted byby aa lotlot ofof hishis ownown workwork ForFor instance,instance, thethe materialsmaterials simplysimply didn'tdidn't existexist inin hishis eraera toto createcreate thethe parachuteparachute he'dhe'd inventedinvented oror thatthat helicopterhelicopter idea,idea, oror thethe mechanicalmechanical tanktank oror thosethose machinemachine guns...guns... TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— ThereThere havehave beenbeen severalseveral attemptsattempts atat restorationrestoration overover thethe centuries,centuries, butbut that'sthat's notnot withoutwithout itsits controversiescontroversies DaDa VinciVinci himselfhimself waswas disgusteddisgusted thatthat thethe workwork hadhad alreadyalready begunbegun toto crumblecrumble byby thethe timetime hehe hadhad finishedfinished itit InIn fact,fact, hehe waswas disgusteddisgusted byby aa lotlot ofof hishis ownown workwork HeHe wrotewrote aboutabout howhow frustratedfrustrated hehe was,was, believingbelieving thatthat muchmuch ofof hishis lifelife waswas basicallybasically aa failure...failure... TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 14921492 PopePope AlexanderAlexander VIVI camecame toto powerpower 14941494 LeonardoLeonardo dada VinciVinci paintedpainted TheThe LastLast SupperSupper TheThe TreatyTreaty ofof TordesillasTordesillas waswas signedsigned SpanishSpanish PopePope AlexanderAlexander hadhad givengiven largelarge chunkschunks ofof AfricaAfrica toto Spain,Spain, andand PortugalPortugal didn'tdidn't likelike itit PortugalPortugal claimedclaimed thatthat thethe TreatyTreaty ofof AlcaçovasAlcaçovas backback inin 14791479 saidsaid thatthat anyany landslands southsouth ofof thethe CanaryCanary IslandsIslands belongedbelonged toto PortugalPortugal—— includingincluding CubaCuba andand thethe NewNew WorldWorld Spain, of course, claimed that it all belonged to Spain, since Portugal didn't take Columbus up on his expedition TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 14921492 PopePope AlexanderAlexander VIVI camecame toto powerpower 14941494 LeonardoLeonardo dada VinciVinci paintedpainted TheThe LastLast SupperSupper TheThe TreatyTreaty ofof TordesillasTordesillas waswas signedsigned SpanishSpanish PopePope AlexanderAlexander hadhad givengiven largelarge chunkschunks ofof AfricaAfrica toto Spain,Spain, andand PortugalPortugal didn'tdidn't likelike itit PortugalPortugal claimedclaimed thatthat thethe TreatyTreaty ofof AlcaçovasAlcaçovas backback inin 14791479 saidsaid thatthat anyany landslands southsouth ofof thethe CanaryCanary IslandsIslands belongedbelonged toto PortugalPortugal—— includingincluding CubaCuba andand thethe NewNew WorldWorld SoSo JoãoJoão IIII ofof PortugalPortugal andand FernandoFernando ofof SpainSpain signedsigned thethe TreatyTreaty ofof Tordesillas,Tordesillas, re-dividingre-dividing thethe worldworld oneone moremore timetime Again, this only worked for the New World—things got much more interestinginteresting once Asia came into the picture... TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 14921492 PopePope AlexanderAlexander VIVI camecame toto powerpower 14941494 LeonardoLeonardo dada VinciVinci paintedpainted TheThe LastLast SupperSupper TheThe TreatyTreaty ofof TordesillasTordesillas waswas signedsigned 14961496 PortugalPortugal expelledexpelled itsits JewsJews JoãoJoão tooktook aa lessonlesson fromfrom Spain,Spain, andand demandeddemanded thatthat allall JewsJews mustmust leaveleave Portugal,Portugal, convert,convert, oror diedie UnlikeUnlike Spain,Spain, PortugalPortugal mademade twotwo caviats—caviats— 1) All Jews had to leave within a few days 2) They could only leave on approved ships At the docks, they were met by Catholic priests, who kept them from the ships and forced thousands to convert (or die) TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 14921492 PopePope AlexanderAlexander VIVI camecame toto powerpower 14941494 LeonardoLeonardo dada VinciVinci paintedpainted TheThe LastLast SupperSupper TheThe TreatyTreaty ofof TordesillasTordesillas waswas signedsigned 14961496 PortugalPortugal expelledexpelled itsits JewsJews 15001500 TheThe TimuridTimurid DynastyDynasty finallyfinally collapsedcollapsed YouYou shouldshould rememberremember TimurTimur (Tamerlane),(Tamerlane), who'dwho'd killedkilled overover fourfour millionmillion ChristiansChristians asas thethe self-self- proclaimedproclaimed “Sword“Sword ofof Islam”Islam” 150150 yearsyears agoago HisHis empireempire finallyfinally fellfell underunder itsits ownown politicalpolitical weight,weight, dividingdividing intointo twotwo halveshalves The Shi'ite Muslim Safavid Empire (which lasted until 1736) The Sunni Muslim Mughal Empire (which lasted until 1857) That 200-350 years of relative stability in the East became crucially importantimportant asas timetime wentwent onon Especially since the Safavids had constant friction with the Sunni Muslim Ottoman Empire and thus made alliances with Christian Europe against them TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— PopePope AlexanderAlexander VIVI dieddied inin 15031503 HeHe andand CèsarCèsar camecame downdown withwith aa feverfever (or(or werewere possiblypossibly poisoned)poisoned) NoNo medicinesmedicines couldcould savesave thethe Pope'sPope's lifelife thoughthough Cèsar'sCèsar's lifelife waswas savedsaved throughthrough aa remedyremedy thatthat apparentlyapparently peeledpeeled hishis skinskin offoff andand leftleft himhim severelyseverely weakenedweakened Alexander's corpse was so disfigured by a bizarre, rapid decomposition that people refused to kiss his hands and feet, as custom demanded for a dead Pope Cèsar died four years later—his face horribly disfigured, his body rife with syphilis, and his body left naked in the streets TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 15031503 ErasmusErasmus publishedpublished hishis EnchiridionEnchiridion OriginallyOriginally fromfrom Rotterdam,Rotterdam, DesideriusDesiderius ErasmusErasmus waswas thethe illegitimateillegitimate childchild ofof aa CatholicCatholic priestpriest SinceSince hehe grewgrew upup soso poor,poor, hehe enteredentered intointo thethe clergyclergy toto survive—andsurvive—and hadhad thethe opportunityopportunity toto learnlearn GreekGreek andand readread TheThe ImitationImitation ofof ChristChrist byby ThomasThomas àà KempisKempis TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— ThomasThomas àà KempisKempis waswas aa GermanGerman scholarscholar andand priestpriest (who(who hadhad copiedcopied thethe Bible—byBible—by hand—athand—at leastleast fourfour times)times) InIn thethe process,process, hehe camecame toto realizerealize thethe importanceimportance notnot onlyonly ofof beingbeing aa goodgood Catholic,Catholic, butbut eveneven moresomoreso ofof havinghaving aa personalpersonal relationshiprelationship withwith GodGod HeHe feltfelt thatthat ChristianityChristianity wasn'twasn't justjust aa seriesseries ofof preceptsprecepts oror rulesrules oror doctrines,doctrines, butbut ratherrather somethingsomething thatthat needsneeds toto bebe embracedembraced onon aa deep,deep, personal,personal, devotionaldevotional level,level, andand thenthen livedlived outout consistentlyconsistently inin ourour everydayeveryday liveslives As he wrote in his Imitation of Christ, “At the Day of Judgement we shall not be asked what we have read, but what we have done.” TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— ThomasThomas àà KempisKempis waswas aa GermanGerman scholarscholar andand priestpriest (who(who hadhad copiedcopied thethe Bible—byBible—by hand—athand—at leastleast fourfour times)times) InIn thethe process,process, hehe camecame toto realizerealize thethe importanceimportance notnot onlyonly ofof beingbeing aa goodgood Catholic,Catholic, butbut eveneven moresomoreso ofof havinghaving aa personalpersonal relationshiprelationship withwith GodGod Thus,Thus, hehe emphasizedemphasized thethe needneed forfor aa regular,regular, personalpersonal devotionaldevotional timetime forfor allall Christians,Christians, lettingletting thethe restrest ofof thethe worldworld fallfall awayaway soso thatthat youyou cancan “reboot”“reboot” yourselfyourself inin ChristChrist Again,Again, asas hehe wrotewrote inin hishis ImitationImitation ofof Christ,Christ, “Make clean the mansions of your heart. Shut out the whole world and all its sinful din and sit as a solitary sparrow on a housetop.” TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— ThomasThomas àà KempisKempis waswas aa GermanGerman scholarscholar andand priestpriest (who(who hadhad copiedcopied thethe Bible—byBible—by hand—athand—at leastleast fourfour times)times) InIn thethe process,process, hehe camecame toto realizerealize thethe importanceimportance notnot onlyonly ofof beingbeing aa goodgood Catholic,Catholic, butbut eveneven moresomoreso ofof havinghaving aa personalpersonal relationshiprelationship withwith GodGod Thus,Thus, hehe emphasizedemphasized thethe needneed forfor aa regular,regular, personalpersonal devotionaldevotional timetime forfor allall ChristiansChristians TheThe bookbook becamebecame thethe most-readmost-read bookbook inin thethe worldworld —in—in fact,fact, itit hashas beenbeen translatedtranslated intointo moremore languageslanguages thanthan anyany otherother bookbook everever written,written, secondsecond onlyonly toto thethe BibleBible itselfitself AAs glowing praise for The Imitation of Christ, Friedrich Nietzsche absolutely hated it, since it called the believer to calm, peace, and selfless obedience to Christ TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 15031503 ErasmusErasmus publishedpublished hishis EnchiridionEnchiridion OriginallyOriginally fromfrom Rotterdam,Rotterdam, DesideriusDesiderius ErasmusErasmus waswas thethe illegitimateillegitimate childchild ofof aa CatholicCatholic priestpriest SinceSince hehe grewgrew upup soso poor,poor, hehe enteredentered intointo thethe clergyclergy toto survive—andsurvive—and hadhad thethe opportunityopportunity toto learnlearn GreekGreek andand readread TheThe ImitationImitation ofof ChristChrist Thus,Thus, ErasmusErasmus wrotewrote extensivelyextensively onon thethe importanceimportance ofof notnot justjust goinggoing throughthrough thethe motionsmotions ofof Christianity,Christianity, butbut truly,truly, sincerelysincerely attemptingattempting toto bebe BiblicalBiblical andand God-honoringGod-honoring He decried the sin and hypocrisy that he saw inin thethe leadershipleadership ofof thethe Church,Church, andand calledcalled forfor a major and genuine reform TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 15031503 ErasmusErasmus publishedpublished hishis EnchiridionEnchiridion OriginallyOriginally fromfrom Rotterdam,Rotterdam, DesideriusDesiderius ErasmusErasmus waswas thethe illegitimateillegitimate childchild ofof aa CatholicCatholic priestpriest SinceSince hehe grewgrew upup soso poor,poor, hehe enteredentered intointo thethe clergyclergy toto survive—andsurvive—and hadhad thethe opportunityopportunity toto learnlearn GreekGreek andand readread TheThe ImitationImitation ofof ChristChrist Thus,Thus, ErasmusErasmus wrotewrote extensivelyextensively onon thethe importanceimportance ofof notnot justjust goinggoing throughthrough thethe motionsmotions ofof Christianity,Christianity, butbut truly,truly, sincerelysincerely attemptingattempting toto bebe BiblicalBiblical andand God-honoringGod-honoring HisHis EnchiridionEnchiridion MilitisMilitis ChristianiChristiani emphasizedemphasized that,that, likelike aa soldier,soldier, thethe ChristianChristian mustmust disciplinediscipline himselfhimself toto livelive likelike aa Christian—Christian— “Charity does not consist in many visits to churches, in many prostrations before the statues of saints, in the lighting of candles, or in the repetition of a number of designated prayers. Of all these things, God has no need... He is charitable who rebukes the erring, who teaches the ignorant, who lifts up the fallen, who consoles the downhearted, who supports the needy. If a man is truly charitable, he will devote, if needs be, all his wealth, all his zeal, all his care to the benefit of others.” TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 15031503 ErasmusErasmus publishedpublished hishis EnchiridionEnchiridion OriginallyOriginally fromfrom Rotterdam,Rotterdam, DesideriusDesiderius ErasmusErasmus waswas thethe illegitimateillegitimate childchild ofof aa CatholicCatholic priestpriest ErasmusErasmus isis sometimessometimes consideredconsidered aa proto-proto- ReformerReformer byby many,many, butbut hehe diddid laterlater debatedebate againstagainst ReformersReformers suchsuch asas MartinMartin Luther,Luther, sincesince hehe despiseddespised divisivenessdivisiveness eveneven moremore thanthan hehe despiseddespised corruption,corruption, andand becausebecause hehe thoughtthought thatthat ReformersReformers werewere abandoningabandoning tootoo manymany ofof thethe goodgood thingsthings ofof CatholicismCatholicism ““You declaim bitterly against the luxury of priests, the ambition of bishops, the tyranny of the Roman Pontiff, and the babbling of the sophists; against our prayers, fasts, and Masses; and you are not content to retrench the abuses that may be in these things, but must needs abolish them entirely... But look around on this ‘Evangelical’ generation, and observe whether amongst them lessless indulgenceindulgence isis givengiven toto luxury,luxury, lust,lust, oror avarice,avarice, than amongst those whom you so detest... The solemn prayers of the Church are abolished, but now there are very many who never pray at all... Confession to the priest is abolished, but very few now confess to God....”” TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 15031503 ErasmusErasmus publishedpublished hishis EnchiridionEnchiridion OriginallyOriginally fromfrom Rotterdam,Rotterdam, DesideriusDesiderius ErasmusErasmus waswas thethe illegitimateillegitimate childchild ofof aa CatholicCatholic priestpriest ErasmusErasmus isis sometimessometimes consideredconsidered aa proto-proto- ReformerReformer byby many,many, butbut hehe diddid laterlater debatedebate againstagainst ReformersReformers suchsuch asas MartinMartin Luther,Luther, sincesince hehe despiseddespised divisivenessdivisiveness eveneven moremore thanthan hehe despiseddespised corruption,corruption, andand becausebecause hehe thoughtthought thatthat ReformersReformers werewere abandoningabandoning tootoo manymany ofof thethe goodgood thingsthings ofof CatholicismCatholicism BecauseBecause ErasmusErasmus triedtried toto reformreform CatholicismCatholicism fromfrom withinwithin,, withoutwithout abandoningabandoning it,it, hehe waswas unfortunatelyunfortunately seenseen byby bothboth sidessides asas beingbeing lukewarmlukewarm andand non-committal,non-committal, andand thus,thus, hehe prettypretty muchmuch justjust annoyedannoyed everybodyeverybody onon bothboth sidessides ofof thethe ReformationReformation TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 15031503 ErasmusErasmus publishedpublished hishis EnchiridionEnchiridion 15061506 PopePope JuliusJulius II'sII's papacypapacy kickedkicked intointo highhigh geargear KnownKnown asas thethe “Warrior“Warrior Pope”Pope” forfor personallypersonally leadingleading thethe PapalPapal armiesarmies againstagainst hishis enemiesenemies (This(This isis aa fanciful,fanciful, butbut notnot entirelyentirely inaccurateinaccurate modernmodern taketake onon Julius'Julius' armor)armor) (and(and yes,yes, hehe diddid tendtend toto favorfavor wieldingwielding aa macemace inin battle)battle) TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 15031503 ErasmusErasmus publishedpublished hishis EnchiridionEnchiridion 15061506 PopePope JuliusJulius II'sII's papacypapacy kickedkicked intointo highhigh geargear KnownKnown asas thethe “Warrior“Warrior Pope”Pope” forfor personallypersonally leadingleading thethe PapalPapal armiesarmies againstagainst hishis enemies,enemies, JuliusJulius waswas aa politicalpolitical rivalrival ofof AlexanderAlexander VI,VI, andand thethe twotwo constantlyconstantly accusedaccused oneone anotheranother ofof foulfoul misdeedsmisdeeds ofof oneone kindkind oror anotheranother (NOTE: The fact was not lost on many that Alexander may have been poisoned, and that his successor, Pius III—another rival of Julius—died under suspicious circumstances after only 26 days in office... I'm just sayin'...) TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 15031503 ErasmusErasmus publishedpublished hishis EnchiridionEnchiridion 15061506 PopePope JuliusJulius II'sII's papacypapacy kickedkicked intointo highhigh geargear KnownKnown asas thethe “Warrior“Warrior Pope”Pope” forfor personallypersonally leadingleading thethe PapalPapal armiesarmies againstagainst hishis enemies,enemies, JuliusJulius waswas aa politicalpolitical rivalrival ofof AlexanderAlexander VIVI Nonetheless,Nonetheless, JuliusJulius likedliked Alexander'sAlexander's plan,plan, andand re-commissionedre-commissioned MichelangeloMichelangelo BuonarrotiBuonarroti toto rebuildrebuild St.St. Peter'sPeter's BasilicaBasilica (NOTE: Two years later, he also commissioned him to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, so that he could create his own legacy, literally overarching that of his uncle, Pope Sixtus IV) BTW—The reason that no photography isis allowedallowed inin thethe SistineSistine ChapelChapel todaytoday has nothing to do with solemnity or with the potential of harming the artwork Instead, when the Church asked for funding to restore the Chapel in 1980, the Nippon Television Network Corporation of Japan gave the highest bid... and demanded exclusive rights to all photos and footage of the Chapel TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 15031503 ErasmusErasmus publishedpublished hishis EnchiridionEnchiridion 15061506 PopePope JuliusJulius II'sII's papacypapacy kickedkicked intointo highhigh geargear KnownKnown asas thethe “Warrior“Warrior Pope”Pope” forfor personallypersonally leadingleading thethe PapalPapal armiesarmies againstagainst hishis enemies,enemies, JuliusJulius waswas aa politicalpolitical rivalrival ofof AlexanderAlexander VIVI Nonetheless,Nonetheless, JuliusJulius likedliked Alexander'sAlexander's plan,plan, andand re-commissionedre-commissioned MichelangeloMichelangelo BuonarrotiBuonarroti toto rebuildrebuild St.St. Peter'sPeter's BasilicaBasilica JuliusJulius alsoalso hiredhired hishis ownown SwissSwiss mercenariesmercenaries toto defenddefend himhim againstagainst hishis enemies—formingenemies—forming thethe firstfirst unitunit ofof thethe PapalPapal SwissSwiss GuardGuard TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— Let'sLet's faceface it—theit—the PapalPapal SwissSwiss GuardGuard looklook kindakinda sillysilly toto usus today,today, withwith theirtheir archaicarchaic uniformsuniforms AndAnd it'sit's notnot likelike they'vethey've justjust retainedretained thisthis looklook thethe entireentire timetime forfor thesethese lastlast fivefive centuriescenturies TheirTheir uniformsuniforms usedused toto justjust reflectreflect thethe stylesstyles ofof uniformsuniforms ofof theirtheir eraseras TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— Let'sLet's faceface it—theit—the PapalPapal SwissSwiss GuardGuard looklook kindakinda sillysilly toto usus today,today, withwith theirtheir archaicarchaic uniformsuniforms AndAnd it'sit's notnot likelike they'vethey've justjust retainedretained thisthis looklook thethe entireentire timetime forfor thesethese lastlast fivefive centuriescenturies TheirTheir uniformsuniforms usedused toto justjust reflectreflect thethe stylesstyles ofof uniformsuniforms ofof theirtheir eras—until,eras—until, inin 1914,1914, whenwhen CommandantCommandant JulesJules RepondRepond decideddecided toto gogo allall “retro,”“retro,” arguingarguing thatthat theythey reallyreally oughtought toto reflectreflect thethe ChurchChurch ofof Rome'sRome's timelessnesstimelessness (Read: that everyone's clothing styles—priests, nuns, soldiers, etc.—should be locked into the style of the Renaissance for all time) Why do you think that is? TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— Let'sLet's faceface it—theit—the PapalPapal SwissSwiss GuardGuard looklook kindakinda sillysilly toto usus today,today, withwith theirtheir archaicarchaic uniformsuniforms ButBut asas sillysilly asas theythey maymay looklook toto ourour eyes,eyes, they'rethey're really,really, reallyreally toughtough TheyThey traintrain hard,hard, withwith thethe bestbest instructors,instructors, andand choosechoose onlyonly thethe “best“best ofof thethe best”best” toto serveserve inin thethe PapalPapal GuardsGuards SoSo thinkthink ofof themthem likelike thethe DeltaDelta ForceForce ofof EuropeEurope …… whowho happenhappen toto dressdress funny...funny... TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 15031503 ErasmusErasmus publishedpublished hishis EnchiridionEnchiridion 15061506 PopePope JuliusJulius II'sII's papacypapacy kickedkicked intointo highhigh geargear KnownKnown asas thethe “Warrior“Warrior Pope”Pope” forfor personallypersonally leadingleading thethe PapalPapal armiesarmies againstagainst hishis enemies,enemies, JuliusJulius waswas aa politicalpolitical rivalrival ofof AlexanderAlexander VIVI Nonetheless,Nonetheless, JuliusJulius likedliked Alexander'sAlexander's plan,plan, andand re-commissionedre-commissioned MichelangeloMichelangelo BuonarrotiBuonarroti toto rebuildrebuild St.St. Peter'sPeter's BasilicaBasilica JuliusJulius alsoalso hiredhired hishis ownown SwissSwiss mercenariesmercenaries toto defenddefend himhim againstagainst hishis enemies—formingenemies—forming thethe firstfirst unitunit ofof thethe PapalPapal SwissSwiss GuardGuard (NOTE: It was his experience acting as the chaplain for this Swiss Guard that gave Swiss priest Ulricht Zwingli a first-hand look at how rich, greedy Popes had taken over and abused the Church—and thus led to him becoming a leading Reformer) “The Swiss see the sad situation of the Church of God, Mother of Christianity, and realize how grave and dangerous it is that any tyrant, avid for wealth, can assault with impunity, the common Mother of Christianity” TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 15031503 ErasmusErasmus publishedpublished hishis EnchiridionEnchiridion 15061506 PopePope JuliusJulius II'sII's papacypapacy kickedkicked intointo highhigh geargear 15121512 TheThe FifthFifth LateranLateran CouncilCouncil waswas heldheld Actually,Actually, PopePope JuliusJulius IIII hadhad beenbeen promisingpromising (and(and failing)failing) toto holdhold aa CouncilCouncil forfor almostalmost aa decade,decade, soso thethe cardinalscardinals gotgot togethertogether toto formform oneone ofof theirtheir ownown inin PisaPisa SoSo JuliusJulius immediatelyimmediately disbandeddisbanded thatthat CouncilCouncil andand convenedconvened thethe FifthFifth Lateran...Lateran... angrily...angrily... TheThe CouncilCouncil clarifiedclarified thatthat onlyonly aa PopePope cancan callcall aa Council,Council, andand thatthat hishis wordword waswas finalfinal lawlaw TheyThey alsoalso decideddecided thatthat nono booksbooks ofof anyany kindkind cancan bebe printedprinted anywhereanywhere withoutwithout thethe expressexpress permissionpermission ofof thethe locallocal bishopbishop TheyThey alsoalso calledcalled forfor aa CrusadeCrusade againstagainst thethe MuslimMuslim OttomanOttoman TurksTurks (An action which, by the way, was completely supported by the Muslim Safavid Empire) TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 15031503 ErasmusErasmus publishedpublished hishis EnchiridionEnchiridion 15061506 PopePope JuliusJulius II'sII's papacypapacy kickedkicked intointo highhigh geargear 15121512 TheThe FifthFifth LateranLateran CouncilCouncil waswas heldheld 15131513 NiccolòNiccolò MacchiavelliMacchiavelli wrotewrote TheThe PrincePrince TheThe bookbook waswas dedicateddedicated toto LorenzoLorenzo de'de' Medici,Medici, thethe DukeDuke ofof Urbino,Urbino, andand philosophicallyphilosophically laidlaid outout thethe wisestwisest wayway forfor aa rulerruler toto rulerule WhatWhat makesmakes itit suchsuch aa classicclassic isis thatthat it'sit's thethe firstfirst politicalpolitical textbooktextbook ofof thethe modernmodern eraera toto makemake useuse ofof whatwhat wouldwould bebe laterlater termedtermed RealpolitikRealpolitik—the—the emphasisemphasis notnot onon whatwhat shouldshould work,work, butbut whatwhat doesdoes workwork For instance, Macchiavelli argued that it's better for a prince to be feared than to be lovedloved byby hishis subjectssubjects For people to follow you out of love, you have to keep making them happy and keep making them love you (If you ever do anything that they don't like, then they'll cease to follow you) For them to follow you out of fear, you justjust havehave toto makemake themthem fearfear youyou once TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 15031503 ErasmusErasmus publishedpublished hishis EnchiridionEnchiridion 15061506 PopePope JuliusJulius II'sII's papacypapacy kickedkicked intointo highhigh geargear 15121512 TheThe FifthFifth LateranLateran CouncilCouncil waswas heldheld 15131513 NiccolòNiccolò MacchiavelliMacchiavelli wrotewrote TheThe PrincePrince TheThe bookbook waswas dedicateddedicated toto LorenzoLorenzo de'de' Medici,Medici, thethe DukeDuke ofof Urbino,Urbino, andand philosophicallyphilosophically laidlaid outout thethe wisestwisest wayway forfor aa rulerruler toto rulerule WhatWhat makesmakes itit suchsuch aa classicclassic isis thatthat it'sit's thethe firstfirst politicalpolitical textbooktextbook ofof thethe modernmodern eraera toto makemake useuse ofof whatwhat wouldwould bebe laterlater termedtermed RealpolitikRealpolitik—the—the emphasisemphasis notnot onon whatwhat shouldshould work,work, butbut whatwhat doesdoes workwork For instance, Macchiavelli argued that it's better for a prince to be feared than to be lovedloved byby hishis subjectssubjects It stands as the most brilliantly-realized argument for the philosophy of “the ends justifyjustify thethe means”means” Macchiavelli even lauded Cèsar Borgia for being such a shrewd politician TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— What'sWhat's reallyreally interestinginteresting isis thatthat thethe bookbook alsoalso standsstands completely,completely, polarpolar oppositeopposite toto everythingeverything thatthat you'dyou'd expectexpect fromfrom MacchiavelliMacchiavelli HeHe waswas aa devoutlydevoutly ethicalethical governmentgovernment workerworker inin Florence'sFlorence's republic,republic, afterafter they'dthey'd thrownthrown outout thethe MediciMedici andand broughtbrought inin aa kindkind ofof democracydemocracy He'dHe'd writtenwritten earlierearlier aboutabout findingfinding thethe Borgias'Borgias' excessexcess andand corruptioncorruption morallymorally repugnantrepugnant TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— What'sWhat's reallyreally interestinginteresting isis thatthat thethe bookbook alsoalso standsstands completely,completely, polarpolar oppositeopposite toto everythingeverything thatthat you'dyou'd expectexpect fromfrom MacchiavelliMacchiavelli HeHe waswas aa devoutlydevoutly ethicalethical governmentgovernment workerworker inin Florence'sFlorence's republic,republic, afterafter they'dthey'd thrownthrown outout thethe MediciMedici andand broughtbrought inin aa kindkind ofof democracydemocracy WhenWhen thethe MediciMedici returnedreturned andand re-tookre-took Florence,Florence, hehe waswas torturedtortured byby themthem forfor threethree weeks,weeks, andand thenthen released—neverreleased—never toto holdhold aa governmentgovernment jobjob againagain AndAnd that'sthat's whenwhen hehe wrotewrote TheThe PrincePrince forfor LorenzoLorenzo de'de' MediciMedici (whom(whom he'dhe'd nevernever met)met) TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— What'sWhat's reallyreally interestinginteresting isis thatthat thethe bookbook alsoalso standsstands completely,completely, polarpolar oppositeopposite toto everythingeverything thatthat you'dyou'd expectexpect fromfrom MacchiavelliMacchiavelli AllAll ofof thisthis hashas ledled somesome peoplepeople toto wonderwonder ifif TheThe PrincePrince isn'tisn't simplysimply thethe mostmost misunderstoodmisunderstood satiresatire ofof allall timetime ““Hey,Hey, Lorenzo—ifLorenzo—if youryour familyfamily isis gonnagonna leadlead likelike this,this, thenthen here'shere's thethe wayway toto totallytotally throwthrow moralitymorality toto thethe windwind andand leadlead simplysimply inin waysways thatthat treattreat peoplepeople likelike disposable,disposable, wind-upwind-up mechanisms...mechanisms... y'know,y'know, likelike youryour rivals,rivals, thethe BorgiasBorgias,, wouldwould do...”do...” The problem is, if Macchiavelli really was just writing a satire, then he did it too well, because the system he articulated actually works, and it's been followed by tyrants for centuries TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 15031503 ErasmusErasmus publishedpublished hishis EnchiridionEnchiridion 15061506 PopePope JuliusJulius II'sII's papacypapacy kickedkicked intointo highhigh geargear 15121512 TheThe FifthFifth LateranLateran CouncilCouncil waswas heldheld 15131513 NiccolòNiccolò MacchiavelliMacchiavelli wrotewrote TheThe PrincePrince PopePope LeoLeo XX tooktook powerpower inin RomeRome AfterAfter aa fewfew BorgiaBorgia Popes,Popes, thethe MediciMedici familyfamily decideddecided thatthat theythey neededneeded toto buybuy aa papacypapacy forfor oneone ofof theirtheir own—theown—the firstfirst ofof fourfour MediciMedici PopesPopes inin thethe spanspan ofof aa centurycentury GiovanniGiovanni didi LorenzoLorenzo de'de' MediciMedici becamebecame PopePope LeoLeo X—withoutX—without everever eveneven havinghaving beenbeen aa priestpriest (though(though hishis fatherfather hadhad purchasedpurchased himhim aa deaconshipdeaconship yearsyears before)before) TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 15031503 ErasmusErasmus publishedpublished hishis EnchiridionEnchiridion 15061506 PopePope JuliusJulius II'sII's papacypapacy kickedkicked intointo highhigh geargear 15121512 TheThe FifthFifth LateranLateran CouncilCouncil waswas heldheld 15131513 NiccolòNiccolò MacchiavelliMacchiavelli wrotewrote TheThe PrincePrince PopePope LeoLeo XX tooktook powerpower inin RomeRome AfterAfter aa fewfew BorgiaBorgia Popes,Popes, thethe MediciMedici familyfamily decideddecided thatthat theythey neededneeded toto buybuy aa papacypapacy forfor oneone ofof theirtheir own—theown—the firstfirst ofof fourfour MediciMedici PopesPopes inin thethe spanspan ofof aa centurycentury GiovanniGiovanni didi LorenzoLorenzo de'de' MediciMedici becamebecame PopePope LeoLeo XX One of his first acts was to cozy up to King Fernando of Spain, who had recently conquered the Kingdom of Naples TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 15031503 ErasmusErasmus publishedpublished hishis EnchiridionEnchiridion 15061506 PopePope JuliusJulius II'sII's papacypapacy kickedkicked intointo highhigh geargear 15121512 TheThe FifthFifth LateranLateran CouncilCouncil waswas heldheld 15131513 NiccolòNiccolò MacchiavelliMacchiavelli wrotewrote TheThe PrincePrince PopePope LeoLeo XX tooktook powerpower inin RomeRome AfterAfter aa fewfew BorgiaBorgia Popes,Popes, thethe MediciMedici familyfamily decideddecided thatthat theythey neededneeded toto buybuy aa papacypapacy forfor oneone ofof theirtheir ownown LeoLeo lovedloved beingbeing PopePope becausebecause ofof thethe powerpower andand luxuryluxury thatthat itit broughtbrought himhim As he wrote to his brother, “Since God has given us the Papacy, let us enjoy it” Thus, he threw lavish parties and filled the Vatican with pretty young men, and travelled around Rome with his own, personal circus (complete with clowns, panthers, bears, and his favorite—Hanno, the white elephant) TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 15031503 ErasmusErasmus publishedpublished hishis EnchiridionEnchiridion 15061506 PopePope JuliusJulius II'sII's papacypapacy kickedkicked intointo highhigh geargear 15121512 TheThe FifthFifth LateranLateran CouncilCouncil waswas heldheld 15131513 NiccolòNiccolò MacchiavelliMacchiavelli wrotewrote TheThe PrincePrince PopePope LeoLeo XX tooktook powerpower inin RomeRome AfterAfter aa fewfew BorgiaBorgia Popes,Popes, thethe MediciMedici familyfamily decideddecided thatthat theythey neededneeded toto buybuy aa papacypapacy forfor oneone ofof theirtheir ownown LeoLeo lovedloved beingbeing PopePope becausebecause ofof thethe powerpower andand luxuryluxury thatthat itit broughtbrought himhim As he wrote to his brother, “Since God has given us the Papacy, let us enjoy it” At one of his Good Friday parties, he raised his goblet of wine and announced a famous toast: “How well we know what a profitable superstition this fable of Christ has been for us and our predecessors!” (sometimes simplified by historians as “It has served us well, this myth of Christ”) TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— HisHis ownown secretary,secretary, CardinalCardinal PietroPietro Bembo,Bembo, saidsaid thatthat LeoLeo ““waswas knownknown toto disbelievedisbelieve ChristianityChristianity itself.itself. HeHe advancedadvanced contrarycontrary toto thethe faith,faith, andand sincesince hehe condemnedcondemned thethe Gospel,Gospel, thereforetherefore hehe mustmust bebe aa heretic;heretic; hehe waswas guiltyguilty ofof sodomysodomy withwith hishis chamberlains;chamberlains; waswas addictedaddicted toto pleasure,pleasure, luxury,luxury, idleness,idleness, ambition,ambition, unchastity,unchastity, andand sensuality;sensuality; andand spentspent hishis wholewhole daysdays inin thethe companycompany ofof musiciansmusicians andand buffoons.buffoons. HisHis Infallibility'sInfallibility's drunkennessdrunkenness waswas proverbial,proverbial, hehe practicedpracticed incontinencyincontinency asas wellwell asas inebriation,inebriation, andand thethe effectseffects ofof hishis crimescrimes shatteredshattered thethe people'speople's constitutionconstitution”” TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 15031503 ErasmusErasmus publishedpublished hishis EnchiridionEnchiridion 15061506 PopePope JuliusJulius II'sII's papacypapacy kickedkicked intointo highhigh geargear 15121512 TheThe FifthFifth LateranLateran CouncilCouncil waswas heldheld 15131513 NiccolòNiccolò MacchiavelliMacchiavelli wrotewrote TheThe PrincePrince PopePope LeoLeo XX tooktook powerpower inin RomeRome AfterAfter aa fewfew BorgiaBorgia Popes,Popes, thethe MediciMedici familyfamily decideddecided thatthat theythey neededneeded toto buybuy aa papacypapacy forfor oneone ofof theirtheir ownown LeoLeo lovedloved beingbeing PopePope becausebecause ofof thethe powerpower andand luxuryluxury thatthat itit broughtbrought himhim His extravagant lifestyle actually bankrupted the Roman Catholic Church So he began selling off anything that people would buy—statues of the apostles from the Vatican, cardinals' birettas, holy offices, furniture, dishes, silverware, etc. He also sold indulgences by the score A common phrase of the day was, “As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs...” Some priests got rich—but others just couldn't take it any more TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 15031503 ErasmusErasmus publishedpublished hishis EnchiridionEnchiridion 15061506 PopePope JuliusJulius II'sII's papacypapacy kickedkicked intointo highhigh geargear 15121512 TheThe FifthFifth LateranLateran CouncilCouncil waswas heldheld 15131513 NiccolòNiccolò MacchiavelliMacchiavelli wrotewrote TheThe PrincePrince PopePope LeoLeo XX tooktook powerpower inin RomeRome 15171517 MartinMartin LutherLuther postedposted 9595 ThesesTheses onon aa doordoor