Pope Julius II

Pope Julius II, born Giuliano della Rovere on 5 December 1443 and reigning until his death on 21 February 1513, was head of the Catholic Church and leader of the Papal States from 1503. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope for his willingness to lead military campaigns personally, he is often thought to have chosen his papal name in emulation of Julius Caesar, and he stands as a central figure of the High Renaissance whose policies during the Italian Wars increased the power and centralization of the Papal States. As a builder and patron he established the Vatican Museums and, in 1506, initiated the rebuilding of St Peter's Basilica, the project that would remake the heart of the Vatican over the following century. That same year he organized the Swiss Guard for his personal protection and led a successful campaign in Romagna against local lords, while his interests extended to the New World as well, since he ratified the Treaty of Tordesillas and established the first bishoprics in the Americas. In 1508 he commissioned Raphael to paint what became known as the Raphael Rooms and commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, two of the defining artistic projects of the Renaissance. To help fund the Basilica's construction he allowed the sale of indulgences to donors, a policy that drew lasting criticism, and after his death he was sharply satirized by Erasmus of Rotterdam in the dialogue Julius Excluded from Heaven.