Pope Julius II

Pope Julius II was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death, in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope, Battle Pope or the Fearsome Pope, he chose his papal name not in honour of Pope Julius I but in emulation of Julius Caesar. One of the most powerful and influential popes, Julius II was a central figure of the High Renaissance and left a significant cultural and political legacy. As a result of his policies during the Italian Wars, the Papal States increased their power and centralization, and the office of the papacy continued to be crucial, diplomatically and politically, during the entirety of the 16th century in Italy and Europe.

5 December 1443

Born on the same birth day (5 December): Anne-Mie van Kerckhoven • Clyde Cessna • Danny Levi • Francisco Javier Arana • Frankie Muniz • Gabriel Luna • Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière • Jacopo Sala • Jeroen Krabbé • Ken Downing • Madis Kõiv • Montee Ball • Nobel Prize in Physics • Ondrej Duda • Paul Painlevé • Sajid Javid • Sarel van der Merwe • W. D. Amaradeva

Born in the same month (December 1443): Magdalena of Valois