Famous Popes
The men on the throne of Saint Peter who shaped history: from Innocent III to the Medici and Borgia popes.
Articles on Famous Popes (6)
The Execution of Conradin: How Europe's Last Hohenstaufen King Died at Sixteen
In 1268 Charles of Anjou had 16-year-old King Conradin publicly beheaded in Naples, ending the Hohenstaufen...
Between Cross and Crescent: Papal Politics and Catholic-Protestant Diplomacy During the Thirty Years' War
How papal diplomacy in the Thirty Years’ War balanced Catholic-Protestant alliances against the Ottoman threat...
Diplomatic Manoeuvres and Religious Tensions: Papal-Imperial Negotiations at the Council of Trent (1545–1563)
Papal-Imperial negotiations shaped the Council of Trent (1545–1563), steering Catholic doctrine and reform...
Peace, Parity, and Papacy: Papal Diplomacy at the Peace of Westphalia, 1648
The Peace of Westphalia in 1648 was a defeat for papal diplomacy: Fabio Chigi could not stop legal parity for...
The Investiture Controversy: Power Struggles in Medieval Germany
How the Investiture Controversy set Henry IV against Pope Gregory VII and reshaped church and state in...
The 1342 Avignon Papal Conclave: Crisis and Controversy in the Election of Pope Clement VI
How factional rivalry and French royal pressure at the Avignon conclave shaped the controversial election of...
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