Pope Julius II, born Giuliano della Rovere, has come down to us as “the Warrior Pope”. This is with good reason: his pontificate, which lasted from 1503 to 1513, was an action-packed and often terrifying Renaissance blockbuster. The television channel Showtime had a huge hit in 2011-2013 with its series The Borgias. It could do so again with Julius, the successor of Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia).
Julius’s pontificate is well known for its domestic, foreign policy and military achievements, and for its consolidation of papal power. He was a formidable man of action, riding at the head of his armies and leading troops into battle. There were great victories and hard losses. As one Venetian ambassador is said to have remarked, Julius believed himself “lord and master of the world’s game”. It was Julius who issued the dispensation allowing the future Henry VIII to marry Catherine of Aragon.
