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Pope Pius II

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Pius II
Papacy began19 August 1458
Papacy ended14 August 1464
PredecessorPope Callixtus III
SuccessorPope Paul II
Personal details
Birth nameEnea Silvio Piccolomini
Born(1405-10-18)October 18, 1405
DiedAugust 14, 1464(1464-08-14) (aged 58)
Other popes named Pius

Pope Pius II (Latin: Pius Secundus; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), born Enea Silvio Piccolomini , was an Italian priest of the Roman Catholic Church and the 211th Pope from August 19, 1458 until his death in 1464.[1]

Early life

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Pius II was born at Corsignano, which is near Siena.[2] He was the oldest of 18 children.[3]

He studied at the University of Siena.[2]

He was ordained in 1446.[2]

In 1447, Pope Nicholas V made Piccolomini Bishop of Trieste.[2] In 1450, he was made Bishop of Siena.[3]

Cardinal

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In 1456, Pope Calixtus III raised Bishop Piccolomini to the rank of cardinal.[2]

Cardinal Piccolomini was elected pope in 1458.[4] The pope chose to be called "Pius" because of the adjective pious which recurs in the phrase "pius Aeneas"[5] in Virgil's Aeneid.[3]

Pope Pius was involved in Italian and European political disputes.[2]

According to Niccolò Machiavelli, "Pius showed himself mindful above all of the welfare of Christendom and of the honour of the Church, independent of any private passion or interest of his own."[6]

St. Catherine of Siena was canonized during his reign.[2]

Selected works

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In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about Pope Pius II, OCLC/WorldCat includes roughly 20+ works in 30+ publications in 5 languages and 120+ library holdings.[7]

  • De miseria curialium (1485)
  • Epistolæ in pontificatu editæ (1487)
  • Aeneas Siluius in Europam (1490)
  • Eneas siluius de remedio amoris Somniu fortune eiusdem (1490)
  • Epistolae familiares (1492)
  • Lystoire de Eurialus et Lucresse, vrays amoureux (1493)
  • Commentarii rerum memorabilium quae temporibus suis contigerunt (1584)
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References

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The Coat of Arms of Pius II [8]
  1. "List of Popes," Catholic Encyclopedia (2009); retrieved 2011-11-02.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 "Pope Pius II," Catholic Encyclopedia; retrieved 2011-10-31.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Chisholm, Hugh (1911). Encyclopedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and General Information. University Press. pp. 683–684.
  4. Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. C. Knight. 1840. pp. 197–198.
  5. Moseley, Nicholas. "Pius Aeneas," The Classical Journal, Vol. 20, No. 7 (Apr., 1925), pp. 387-400; retrieved 2011-10-31.
  6. Penny cyclopaedia, Vol. 18, p. 198, citing Niccolò Machiavelli. (1532). Historie fiorentine (History of Florence and of the affairs of Italy: from the earliest times to the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent).
  7. WorldCat Identities,Catholic Church Pope (1458-1464: Pius II); Pius II Pope 1405-1464
  8. Note that Pius II and his nephew Pius III share the same coat-of-arms

Other websites

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Media related to Pius II at Wikimedia Commons

Preceded by
Callixtus III
Pope
1458–1464
Succeeded by
Paul II