Julius II: Warrior, Builder, and Patron of the Arts (1503–1513)

Introduction: Raphael’s Portrait of a Warrior Pope

If we place Raphael’s profound and penetrating portrait of Julius before us, we see Giuliano della Rovere as one of the strongest personalities who ever sat upon the papal throne. A massive head bent by age and long submission, broad arched eyebrows, a large nose that betrays a warlike nature, deep-set piercing eyes, lips pressed together with determination, hands heavy with rings of power, and a somber face that reveals disappointment at the failures of power—this is the man who kept Italy in war and turmoil for ten years, freed her from foreign armies, destroyed the old St. Peter’s Basilica, brought Bramante and hundreds of other artists to Rome, discovered and guided Michelangelo and Raphael, and through them gave the world the new St. Peter’s, the beautiful ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and the frescoes of the Vatican rooms.

Warrior Temperament and Rise to the Papacy

Julius’s fierce temperament may have been with him from birth. Born in 1443 near Savona, as nephew of Sixtus IV he became a cardinal at twenty-seven and remained in that office for thirty-three years until he reached the papacy—the position he considered his rightful due. He was more faithful to compulsory celibacy than most of his contemporaries, yet the master of ceremonies at the Vatican later remarked that Julius would not allow his foot to be kissed because it was deformed by the “French disease.” He had three illegitimate daughters, but he was so occupied fighting Alexander VI that he had little time to show paternal affection.

He was the exact opposite of Alexander. Alexander was cheerful, sanguine, and good-natured; Julius was stern, irritable, impatient, and quick to anger. He moved from one war to another and was never happy except in war. Alexander fought through others; Julius fought in person. This sixty-year-old pope had become a soldier; he took more pleasure in military dress than in priestly robes, loved campaigns and sieges, and always wanted to watch the aiming of cannons and the launching of assaults.

Reconquest of the Papal States and Foreign Policy

When he came to power, he found the Papal States in disorder. Venice had seized Faenza, Ravenna, and Rimini; Giovanni Sforza had returned to Pesaro; the Baglioni had regained control of Perugia; and the Bentivoglio ruled Bologna. Julius, like Alexander, believed that the spiritual independence of the Church required permanent possession of the Papal States. He called upon France, Germany, and Spain against his Italian enemies.

In August 1506 Julius left Rome at the head of his small forces. Giovanni Paolo Baglioni surrendered in Perugia. Julius, confident in his religious authority, entered the city with only a small guard. He then marched on Bologna; Giovanni Bentivoglio fled. Julius entered the city seated on a litter and was welcomed as the liberator of the people from tyranny.

Venice still held Faenza, Ravenna, and Rimini. Julius, risking Italy to recover the Romagna, invited France, Germany, and Spain to crush the Queen of the Adriatic. They responded powerfully in the League of Cambrai (1508). Julius issued one of the harshest excommunication bulls in history against Venice. Venice returned the seized cities and accepted humiliating conditions. Venetian envoys knelt before the pope and obtained absolution.

Julius now changed policy and decided to drive the French out of Italy. He turned against Ferrara, captured Modena, and personally besieged Mirandola. Though sixty-eight years old, he walked through deep snow, directed operations, and chose the positions of the guns. Mirandola surrendered. Julius ordered all French soldiers in the city killed.

The Council of Pisa and the Holy League

Dissident cardinals called for a general council in Pisa. Julius responded by convening the Lateran Council in Rome. He formed the Holy League with Venice and Spain, later joined by England. The French won at Ravenna but Julius refused peace. With the arrival of the Swiss and Germans, the French retreated. Julius recovered Bologna and the Romagna and also seized Parma and Piacenza.

Death of Julius and Evaluation

In late January 1513 Julius fell ill and died on February 20. The people of Rome mourned his death. He had recovered the Papal States, restored order, and financed war and art through the sale of offices and indulgences. Contemporaries saw him chiefly as a warrior and politician, but he was also the founder of the new St. Peter’s and the greatest patron of the arts among the popes.

Architecture of Rome and Patronage of the Arts

Julius transferred the center of the Renaissance from Florence to Rome. He employed Bramante to design the new St. Peter’s Basilica. Bramante executed the Via Giulia, the Belvedere courtyard, and the portico of Santa Maria della Pace. Julius brought hundreds of artists to Rome and balanced the budgets of war and art. He left 700,000 florins in the treasury for Leo.

Raphael the Youth and the Vatican Rooms

Raphael arrived in Rome in 1508. Julius commissioned him to paint the Stanza della Segnatura. Raphael decorated four rooms with themes such as the Disputation of the Sacrament (theology), the School of Athens (philosophy), Parnassus (poetry), and Law. These works represent the peak of composition, color, and intellectual depth of the Renaissance. Raphael also created beautiful Madonnas and striking portraits, including that of Julius II.

Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel Ceiling

Julius forced Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo initially resisted but worked for four years (1508–1512). He painted over 300 figures: scenes from Genesis, prophets, sibyls, and the ancestors of Christ. God Creating Adam, the Flood of Noah, and other scenes are immortal masterpieces. Michelangelo worked alone on the scaffold in solitude and pain, turning the ceiling into one of the greatest achievements of human art.

The Tomb of Julius and His Legacy

Julius wanted a magnificent tomb for himself that Michelangelo designed, but wars delayed the work. Only the Moses statue remains from that project. Julius recovered the Papal States, supported the arts, and began the rebuilding of St. Peter’s. He freed Italy from foreign domination and brought the Renaissance to its height.