Papal States Politics in the 1460s

Timeline

1. 1461–1464Ancona · AnconaIn the early 1460s Pius II continued to call for a crusade against the Ottomans; in 1464 he personally went to Ancona to assemble a fleet, but the effort failed because allies failed to appear and the pope was gravely ill. During his reign he enhanced papal prestige through humanist writings and diplomatic mediation, but he could not effectively unite the military forces of the Italian states, and the Papal States' military still relied on mercenaries and local nobles.
2. 1464–1465Rome · RomeAfter Pius II died in August 1464 at Ancona, the cardinals elected the Venetian Pietro Barbo as pope, taking the name Paul II. The new pope emphasized the reorganization of papal finances and control over public order in Rome, shifting policy from humanist idealism toward pragmatic authoritarianism, laying the foundation for a change in the governing style of the Papal States in the later 1460s.
3. 1466–1470Rome · RomeAfter 1466 Paul II curtailed the political participation of the Roman Senate, and in 1468 suppressed the Roman Academy led by Pomponio Leto, accusing it of heresy and conspiracy. Through his nephews the pope held key military and political offices, intervened in the balance of power after the Pazzi conspiracy in Florence, and dealt with Milan, Naples, and Venice. In the late 1460s the finances of the Papal States expanded due to Jubilee preparations and building projects, and the Curia's role as arbiter of Italian power was strengthened.