Pope Gregory XV

Timeline

1. 1554–1621Bologna · Emilia-RomagnaLudovisi was born to a prominent Bolognese family, completed his theological education in Rome and entered the Curia, holding a number of diplomatic and ecclesiastical posts, and was raised to the cardinalate in 1612. Long involved in curial internal affairs and external negotiations, he built up a reputation ahead of the 1621 papal election.
2. 1621–1623Vatican, Rome · Papal StatesAfter his election as pope in 1621 he promoted curial institutional reform, founded Propaganda Fide in 1622 to coordinate missionary work worldwide, and convened a reform council to strengthen discipline. His pontificate overlapped with the early stages of the Thirty Years' War, during which the Curia sought to mediate among Europe's Catholic powers; he died in 1623 and was succeeded by Urban VIII.