JULIUS III, Pope. - Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte, b. in Rome on 10 Sept. 1487, d. there on 23 March 1555. He studied letters under the guidance of Raffaele Lippo Brandolini, and jurisprudence at Perugia and Bologna. Archbishop of Siponto, twice governor of Rome under Clement VII, vice-legate of Bologna under Paul III, auditor of the Apostolic Chamber, cardinal (22 Dec. 1536), representative of Paul III at the Council of Trent, he had broad culture and experience.
After a long Conclave, difficult because of conflicting interference and the many exclusives of Charles V and Henry II of France, he was elected (7 Feb. 1550) through an agreement among the factions, as politically neutral and not viewed unfavorably even by the party that aimed at a reform of the Church. At the outset he showed himself inclined to peace and desirous of reform. After long negotiations with the Emperor and the King of France, he reconvoked the Council at Trent for 1 May 1551 and appointed as its first president Card. Crescenzi, one of the best men. The Council, not recognized by France, subject to imperial and Spanish interference, nevertheless carried its work forward, until the threat of Maurice of Saxony and the Protestants forced the Pope to suspend it (15 Apr. 1552).
Meanwhile war had broken out in Italy. Ottavio Farnese, to whom G. had restored Parma, since the Emperor was unwilling to give him Piacenza and was even threatening Parma, had drawn close to France, heedless of the Pope's briefs, for by his own inclination and by the necessity of imperial support against the Protestants, the Pope leaned toward Charles V. In order to crush that "poor worm," G. had to place himself in the Emperor's hands, notwithstanding the threat of a French schism; he declared Ottavio deprived of his fief (22 May 1551), and, when Romagna was invaded by the Farnese and the French, he took Castro from the former. But an enterprise against Parma and Mirandola, captained by Ferrante Gonzaga, governor of Milan, failed: Rome itself was eager for peace. An armistice was concluded between the Pope and the French, with the restitution of Castro (29 Apr. 1552). G. then returned, as "father of Christendom," to thoughts of peace: and, while remaining on the whole favorable to Charles V and Cosimo de' Medici, he assumed the attitude of a mediator in the war of Siena.
And he continued to display no negligible activity for the defense and propagation of the faith and the work of reform. He confirmed the Roman Inquisition, but kept it jealously immune from the interference of lay princes and was rather inclined to mildness: few executions of heretics, and absolution granted even to those who abjured in secret. He labored to keep Poland in the Catholic faith; he promoted and celebrated the return of England, with Mary Tudor, to obedience to Rome, and to the legate Card. Pole he granted very broad faculties for the pardoning of the holders of ecclesiastical property confiscated during the period of the schism.
He occupied himself actively with the evangelization of America and the Indies, facilitating the beginning of the work of missionaries and creating bishoprics, although the imprudence of religious, and, far more, the greed and corruption of laymen, prevented the hoped-for successes. He obtained the reunion with the Roman Church of the Nestorians of Chaldea and attempted to reunite the Copts of Abyssinia. For reform he instituted commissions of cardinals, including eminent men and participating in the work; he forbade unjustified cessions of benefices; he proposed (16 Sept. 1552) a vast program and had prepared, after much study, a bull that concerned pope and prelates, secular and regular clergy, ecclesiastical benefices, the Segnatura, the Penitenzieria, preaching, indulgences: death prevented him from publishing it. Almost at the beginning of his reign he had confirmed the constitutions of the Society of Jesus (21 July 1550): he later erected and entrusted to it the Collegio Germanico for the education in Rome of young Germans, future champions against heresy (31 Aug. 1552).
Despite financial straits, he gave favor to learned men, to the Roman University, to the Apostolic Library. He received disinterested praise and dedications of works from Giovio, from Aretino, from Condivi; he received from Palestrina, whom he named choirmaster at St. Peter's, the dedication of a volume of Masses for four voices. He gave honors and a high stipend to Michelangelo, whom, despite oppositions, he confirmed as supreme architect of St. Peter's; he had built by Vignola and Ammannati his magnificent "Vigna di papa Giulio" outside Porta del Popolo, had the Palace restored by Vignola, which was later called the Palazzo di Firenze, and had the sepulchral Chapel in S. Pietro in Montorio designed and decorated by Vasari and Ammannati.
Vigorous and tall of stature, but of somewhat rough appearance, cultured, eloquent, pious, indefatigable, G. III lacked firmness and tenacity. A gentle soul, a stranger to pride, he was nevertheless prone to outbursts of anger, inclined to sudden enthusiasms and discouragements. He loved excessively jokes, festivities, banquets, hunting, gambling; he attended unseemly spectacles; one of his medals celebrated "hilaritas publica." He gave too generous favor to his nephews, though without reaching great nepotism.