Pope Paul III

Timeline

1. 1468–1513Rome · LazioAlessandro Farnese came from Tuscan nobility, was educated at the court of Lorenzo de' Medici, and later entered the papal court. In 1493, through Pope Alexander VI's special relationship with his sister Giulia Farnese, he was appointed cardinal-deacon; thereafter he served several popes and gradually accumulated influence in the curia.
2. 1513–1534Rome · LazioAs a cardinal, Farnese served under Leo X, Adrian VI, Clement VII and others, gradually shifting from a worldly outlook to a serious religious stance. In the core period of 1531–1534 he was one of the most influential cardinals in the curia, actively responding to the Protestant Reformation crisis, and received the most votes in three papal conclaves before finally being elected in 1534 after the death of Clement VII.
3. 1534–1549Rome · LazioPaul III was elected pope on 13 October 1534 and immediately led internal reform of the Catholic Church. He approved the founding of the Jesuits in 1540, reorganized the Inquisition in 1542, and convened the council at Trent in 1545, formally launching the Counter-Reformation and redefining Catholic doctrine against Protestantism. He commissioned Michelangelo to paint The Last Judgment (completed 1541) and appointed him to oversee the rebuilding of St. Peter's Basilica, making him one of the most important art patrons of the late Renaissance.