View source for Pope Paul III

{{Short description|Head of the Catholic Church from 1534 to 1549}}
{{redirect|Paul III|the patriarch of Constantinople|Patriarch Paul III of Constantinople}}

{{Infobox Christian leader
| type = Pope
| honorific-prefix = [[List of popes|Pope]]
| name = Paul III
| title = [[Bishop of Rome]]
| image = Portrait of Pope Paul III Farnese (by Titian) - National Museum of Capodimonte.jpg
| caption = ''[[Portrait of Pope Paul III (Titian)|Portrait of Pope Paul III]]'', 1543
| birth_name = Alessandro Farnese
| church = [[Catholic Church]]
| term_start = 13 October 1534
| term_end = 10 November 1549
| predecessor = [[Clement VII]]
| successor = [[Julius III]]
| ordination = 26 June 1519
| ordinated_by = 
| consecration = 2 July 1519
| consecrated_by = [[Pope Leo X|Leo X]]
| cardinal = 20 September 1493 <br /> by [[Pope Alexander VI|Alexander VI]]
| birth_date = 29 February 1468
| birth_place = [[Canino]], [[Latium|Lazio]], [[Papal States]]
| death_date = 	10 November 1549 (aged 81)
| death_place = [[Rome]], Papal States
| buried = [[St. Peter's Basilica]]
| previous_post = {{Indented plainlist|
* [[Santi Cosma e Damiano, Rome|Cardinal-Deacon of Santi Cosma e Damiano]] (1493–1503)
* [[Bishop of Corneto and Montefiascone]] (1499–1509)
* [[Sant'Eustachio|Cardinal-Deacon of Sant'Eustachio]] (1503–1519)
* Archpriest of the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran (1508–1534)
* [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Parma|Bishop of Parma]] (1509–1534)
* [[Protodeacon|Protodeacon of the College of Cardinals]] (1516–1519)
* [[Cardinal-Bishop of Frascati]] (1519–1523)
* [[Cardinal-Bishop of Palestrina]] (1523)
* [[Cardinal-Bishop of Sabina]] (1523–1524)
* [[Cardinal-Bishop of Porto]] (1524)
* [[Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia]] (1524–1534)
* Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals (1524)
}}
| other = Paul
| children = [[Pier Luigi Farnese, Duke of Parma|Pier Luigi II Farnese]]<br />Paolo Farnese<br />[[Ranuccio Farnese (1509–1529)|Ranuccio Farnese]]<br />[[Costanza Farnese]]<br />Lucrezia Farnese
| partner = [[Silvia Ruffini]] (mistress)
| coat_of_arms = C o a Paulus III.svg
| signature = Signature of Pope Paul III.svg{{!}}class=skin-invert
}}
{{Infobox popestyles
|image            = C o a Paulus III.svg
|dipstyle         = [[His Holiness]]
|offstyle         = Your Holiness
|relstyle         = Holy Father
|deathstyle       = None
}}
{{Catholic Counter-Reformation|expanded=people}}
'''Pope Paul III''' ({{langx|la|Paulus III}}; {{langx|it|Paolo III}}; born '''Alessandro Farnese'''; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549) was head of the [[Catholic Church]] and ruler of the [[Papal States]] from 13 October 1534 to his death, in November 1549.

He came to the papal throne in an era following the [[Sack of Rome (1527)|sack of Rome in 1527]] and rife with uncertainties in the Catholic Church as the [[Protestant Reformation]] progressed. His pontificate initiated the [[Catholic Reformation]] with the [[Council of Trent]] in 1545, and witnessed [[European wars of religion|wars of religion]] in which Emperor [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] launched military campaigns against the Protestants in Germany. He recognized new Catholic religious orders and societies such as the [[Jesuits]], the [[Barnabites]], and the [[Congregation of the Oratory]]. His efforts were distracted by [[Nepotism#Origins|nepotism]] to advance the power and fortunes of his family, including his illegitimate son [[Pier Luigi Farnese, Duke of Parma|Pier Luigi Farnese]].

Paul III was a significant patron of artists, including [[Michelangelo]], and [[Nicolaus Copernicus]] dedicated his [[heliocentric]] treatise to him.

==Biography==

===Early career and family===
Born in 1468 at [[Canino]], [[Latium]] (then part of the Papal States), Alessandro Farnese was the second son of Pier Luigi I Farnese, Signore di [[Montalto di Castro|Montalto]] (1435–1487) and Giovanna Caetani,{{sfn|Gamrath|2007|p=25}}<ref name="Loughlin">{{cite web |title=CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Pope Paul III |url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11579a.htm |website=www.newadvent.org}}</ref> a member of the [[Caetani]] family which had produced [[Pope Gelasius II]] and [[Pope Boniface VIII]]. The [[Farnese family]] had prospered over the centuries, but it was Alessandro's ascendency to the papacy and his dedication to family interests which brought about the most significant increase in the family's wealth and power.

Alessandro was given a humanist education at the [[University of Pisa]] and the court of [[Lorenzo de' Medici]].<ref>Verellen Till R. Pope Paul III (Alessandro Farnese) Oxford Online</ref> Initially trained as an [[apostolic notary]], he joined the [[Roman Curia]] in 1491 and in 1493 [[Pope Alexander VI]] appointed him Cardinal-Deacon of ''[[Santi Cosma e Damiano, Rome|Santi Cosma e Damiano]]''. Alessandro's sister, [[Giulia Farnese|Giulia]], was reputedly a mistress of Alexander VI, and might have been instrumental in securing this appointment for her brother. For this reason, he was sometimes mockingly referred to as the "Borgia brother-in-law", just as Giulia was mocked as "the Bride of Christ". Much later (in 1535), the Venetian nobleman Soriano recorded that Alessandro was called ''cardinale Fregnese'' (Cardinal Pussy, or Cardinal Cunt) on account of the relationship between his sister and Alexander VI.<ref>Ferdinand Gregorovius, ''[https://archive.org/details/p1historyofcityo07greguoft/page/350/mode/2up History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages]'' (London: George Bell & Sons, 1900): VII, 1, 351.</ref>

As a young cleric, Alessandro lived a notably dissolute life, taking a mistress, [[Silvia Ruffini]]. Between about 1500 and 1510, she gave birth to at least four children: [[Costanza Farnese|Costanza]],{{sfn|Gamrath|2007|p=25}} [[Pier Luigi Farnese|Pier Luigi]] (who was later created [[Duke of Parma]]),{{sfn|Knecht|2014|p=42}} Paolo, and [[Ranuccio Farnese (1509–1529)|Ranuccio]]. In July 1505, Pope Julius II [[Legitimacy (family law)|legitimated]] the two eldest sons so that they could inherit the Farnese family estates.<ref>Roberto Zapperi, ''La leggenda del papa Paolo III: arte e censura nella Roma pontificia'' (Torino: Bollati Boringhieri, 1998): 20.</ref> On 23 June 1513, Pope Leo X published a second legitimation of Pier Luigi, and also legitimized Ranuccio (the second son Paolo had already died).<ref>Zapperi, 21.</ref>

On 28 March 1509, Alessandro was named Bishop of Parma, but he was not ordained a priest until 26 June 1519 and not consecrated a bishop until 2 July 1519. As Bishop of Parma, he came under the influence of his vicar-general, [[Bartolomeo Guidiccioni]]. This led to Alessandro breaking off the relationship with his mistress and committing himself to reform in his diocese.<ref name="Concordia" /> Under [[Pope Clement VII]] (1523–34) he was named [[Cardinal Bishop of Ostia]] and [[Dean of the College of Cardinals]].

==Pontificate==
===Papal election===
{{main|1534 papal conclave}}

On the death of Clement VII in 1534, he was elected as Pope Paul III on 13 October 1534.{{sfn|de Vitoria|1991|p=333}} Farnese, who did not fall within any of the factions, was considered a very good choice by the cardinals since his state of health denoted a short papacy which would give those cardinals time to select a proper candidate for a future conclave. On 3 November, Paul III was formally [[Papal coronation|crowned]] by the [[protodeacon]] [[Innocenzo Cybo]].

The elevation to the cardinalate of his grandsons, [[Alessandro Farnese (cardinal)|Alessandro Farnese]], aged 14, and [[Guido Ascanio Sforza]], aged 16, displeased the reform party and drew a protest from Emperor Charles V, but this was forgiven when, shortly after, he introduced into the Sacred College [[Reginald Pole]], [[Gasparo Contarini]], [[Jacopo Sadoleto]], and Giovanni Pietro Caraffa,<ref name="Loughlin" /> who would become [[Pope Paul IV]].

[[File:Titian – Portrait of Pope Paul III with his Grandsons – Google Art Project – edited.jpg|thumb|200px|right|''[[Pope Paul III and his Grandsons]]'' Cardinal [[Alessandro Farnese (cardinal)|Alessandro Farnese]] (left), and [[Ottavio Farnese, Duke of Parma]] (right), II Duke of Parma since 1547. A triple portrait by [[Titian]], 1546]]

===Politics and religion===
The fourth pope during the period of the [[Protestant Reformation]], Paul III became the first to take active reform measures in response to Protestantism.<ref name=Concordia>[http://reformation500.csl.edu/bio/paul-iii/ "Pope Paul III", ''Reformation 500'' Concordia University] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911091847/http://reformation500.csl.edu/bio/paul-iii/ |date=11 September 2014 }}</ref> Soon after his elevation, 2 June 1536, Paul III summoned a general council to meet at [[Mantua]] in the following May, but the opposition of the Protestant princes and the refusal of [[Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua]] to assume the responsibility of maintaining order frustrated the project.<ref name=Loughlin/> Paul III first deferred for a year and then discarded the whole project.

In 1536, Paul III invited a committee of nine eminent [[prelate]]s, distinguished by learning and piety alike, to report on the reformation and rebuilding of the Church. In 1537 they produced the celebrated ''[[Consilium de Emendanda Ecclesia|Consilium de emendenda ecclesia]]'',<ref>{{cite book| last=le Plat |first=J. |title=Monumenta ad historiam Concilii Tridentini |pages=ii, 596–597 |language=la |place= Leuven |date=1782}}</ref> exposing gross abuses in the Roman Curia, the church administration, and public worship; and proffering bold proposals aimed at abolishing such abuses. The report was widely printed, and the pope was in earnest when he took up the problem of reform. He clearly perceived that Emperor [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] would not rest until the problems were grappled with in earnest.

However, to the Protestants, the report seemed far from thorough; [[Martin Luther]] had his edition (1538) prefaced with a vignette showing the cardinals cleaning the [[Augeas|Augean stable]] of the Roman Church with foxtails instead of brooms. In the end, no results followed from the committee's recommendations.

As a consequence of the extensive campaign against "idolatry" in [[Kingdom of England|England]], culminating with the dismantling of the shrine of St. [[Thomas Becket]] at [[Canterbury]], Paul III excommunicated [[Henry VIII]] on 17 December 1538 and issued an interdict on England.{{sfn|Scarisbrick|2011|p=361}}

In 1534, a decision by Paul III favoured the activity of merchants of all nationalities and religions from the [[Levant]] and allowed them to settle with their families in [[Ancona]], which had become part of the [[Papal States]] under his predecessor [[Clement VII]]. This decision helped make Ancona a prosperous trading city for centuries to come. A Venetian travelling through Ancona in 1535 recorded that the city was "full of merchants from every nation and mostly Greeks and Turks." In the second half of the 16th century, the presence of Greek and other merchants from the [[Ottoman Empire]] declined after a series of restrictive measures taken by the Italian authorities and the pope.<ref name=wos>Jan W. Woś, ''La comunità greca di Ancona alla fine del secolo XVI'', Tipografia Sonciniana, 1979</ref>

Around this time, family complications arose. In order to vest his grandson [[Ottavio Farnese, Duke of Parma|Ottavio Farnese]] with the [[Duchy of Camerino]], Paul forcibly wrested the same from the [[Duchy of Urbino|duke of Urbino]] (1540). He also incurred virtual war with his own subjects and vassals by the imposition of burdensome taxes. [[Perugia]], renouncing its obedience, was besieged by Paul's son, Pier Luigi, and forfeited its freedom entirely on its surrender. The burghers of [[Colonna family|Colonna]] were duly vanquished, and Ascanio was banished (1541). After this, the time seemed ripe for annihilating heresy.

In 1540, the Church officially recognized the society forming about [[Ignatius of Loyola]], which became the [[Society of Jesus]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://personal.ashland.edu/~jmoser1/jesuits.htm|title=Pope Paul III's Approval of the Society of Jesus (1540)|website=personal.ashland.edu|access-date=11 September 2014|archive-date=11 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911055124/http://personal.ashland.edu/~jmoser1/jesuits.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1542, a second stage in the process of Counter-Reformation was marked by the institution, or reorganization, of the Congregation of the Holy Office of the [[Inquisition]].

On another side, the emperor was insisting that Rome should forward his designs toward a peaceable recovery of the German Protestants. Accordingly, Paul III despatched [[Giovanni Morone]] (not as yet a cardinal) as [[nuncio]] to [[Hagenau]] and [[Worms, Germany|Worms]] in 1540; and in 1541 Cardinal [[Gasparo Contarini]] took part in the adjustment proceedings at the [[Conference of Regensburg]]. It was Contarini who proposed the famous formula "by faith alone are we justified," which did not, however, supersede the Roman Catholic doctrine of good works. At Rome, this definition was rejected in the [[papal consistory|consistory]] of 27 May, and Luther declared that he could accept it only provided the opposers would admit that this formula constituted a change of doctrine.
[[File:Titian - Ranuccio Farnese - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|left|[[Ranuccio Farnese (cardinal)|Ranuccio Farnese]] was made cardinal by Paul III at the age of 15.]]

However, after the Regensburg Conference had proved fruitless, the emperor insisted on a still larger council, with the final result being the [[Council of Trent]], which finally was convoked on 15 March 1545, under the bull ''Laetare Hierusalem''.

Meanwhile, after the peace of [[Crespy]] (September 1544), Emperor Charles V (1519 – 1556) began to put down Protestantism by force. Pending the [[Diet of Worms]] in 1545, the emperor concluded a covenant of joint action with the papal legate Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, with Paul III agreeing to aid in the projected war against the German Protestant princes and estates. This prompt acquiescence was probably grounded on personal motives: Because the emperor was preoccupied in Germany, the moment now seemed opportune for the pope to acquire for his son Pier Luigi the duchies of [[Duchy of Parma and Piacenza|Parma and Piacenza]].{{sfn|Knecht|2014|p=42}} Although these belonged to the Papal States, Paul III planned to overcome the reluctance of the cardinals by exchanging these papal duchies for the less valuable domains of Camerino and [[Nepi]]. The emperor agreed, welcoming the prospect of 12,000 infantry, 500 cavalry, and considerable funds from the pope.

In Germany the campaign began in the west, where [[Electorate of Cologne|Archbishop of Cologne]] [[Hermann of Wied]] had converted to Protestantism in 1542. Emperor Charles began open warfare against the Protestant princes, estates, and cities allied in the [[Schmalkaldic League]] (see [[Philip of Hesse]]). Hermann was excommunicated on 16 April 1546 and compelled by the emperor to abdicate in February 1547. By the close of 1546, Charles V had subjugated South Germany. The victory at the [[Battle of Mühlberg]] on 24 April 1547 established his imperial sovereignty everywhere in Germany, and the two leaders of the League were captured. The emperor declared the [[Augsburg Interim]] as a magnanimous compromise with the defeated schismatics.
[[File:Farnese detail.JPG|thumb|300px|right|The Farnese coat of arms or ''stemma'' on the facade of the [[Farnese Palace]] in Rome]]

Although the emperor had subdued the German Protestant armies, he had failed to support the pope's territorial ambitions for his son Pier Luigi, and relations between them cooled. The situation came to a total rupture when [[Ferrante Gonzaga]], the imperial vice-regent, forcibly expelled Pier Luigi.

In 1547, the pope's son was assassinated at [[Piacenza]], and Paul III placed some of the blame on the emperor. In the same year, and after the death of [[Francis I of France]] (1515–47) deprived the pope of a potential ally, the stress of circumstances compelled him to accept the ecclesiastical measures in the emperor's Interim.

With reference to the assassinated prince's inheritance, the restitution of which Paul III demanded ostensibly in the name of the church, the pope's design was thwarted by the emperor, who refused to surrender Piacenza, and by Pier Luigi's heir in Parma, Ottavio Farnese.

In consequence of a violent altercation on this account with Cardinal Farnese, Paul III, at the age of 81, became so overwrought that an attack of sickness ensued from which he died on 10 November 1549.

Paul III proved unable to suppress the Protestant Reformation, but it was during his pontificate that the foundation was laid for the [[Counter-Reformation]]. He decreed the second and final [[Excommunication (Catholic Church)|excommunication]] of Henry VIII of England in December 1538. His efforts in Parma led to the [[War of Parma]] two years after his death.

===Slavery and ''Sublimis Deus''===
[[File:Aprovação da Companhia de Jesus pelo Papa Paulo III (c. 1640) - Domingos da Cunha, o Cabrinha (Sé Nova, Coimbra).png|thumb|left|210px|Pope Paul III approves the Society of Jesus, {{circa|1640}}, by Domingos da Cunha.]]
In May–June 1537, Paul issued the bull ''[[Sublimis Deus]]'' (also known as ''Unigenitus'' and ''Veritas ipsa''), described by Prein (2008) as the "Magna Carta" for the human rights of the [[indigenous peoples of the Americas]] in its declaration that "the Indians were human beings and they were not to be robbed of their freedom or possessions". The subsequent implementing document ''Pastorale officium'' declared automatic excommunication for anyone who failed to abide by the new ruling.<ref name="ReferenceA">"The Encyclopedia Of Christianity", p. 212</ref>

However, it met with strong opposition from the Council of the West Indies and the Crown, which declared that it violated their patronato rights, and the pope annulled the orders the following year with the document ''Non Indecens Videtur''.<ref>Stogre, p. 115, fn. 133</ref> Stogre (1992) notes that ''Sublimis Deus'' is not present in [[Enchiridion symbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum|Denzinger]], the authoritative compendium of official Catholic teachings, and Davis (1988) asserts it was annulled due to a dispute with the Spanish crown.<ref>Davis, p. 170, fn. 9</ref> However, the original bull continued to circulate and be quoted by [[Bartolomé de las Casas|las Casas]] and others who supported Indian rights.<ref>Lampe, p. 17</ref>

According to Falkowski (2002) ''Sublimis Deus'' had the effect of revoking the bull of Alexander VI, ''[[Inter caetera]]'', but still leaving the colonizers the duty of converting the native people.<ref>Thornberry 2002, p. 65, fn. 21</ref><ref name="ReferenceA" /> Father [[Gustavo Gutierrez]] describes it as "the most important papal document relating to the condition of native Indians and that it was addressed to all Christians".<ref>Panzer, 2008</ref> Maxwell (1975) notes that the bull did not change the traditional teaching that the enslavement of Indians was permissible if they were considered "enemies of Christendom", as this would be considered by the Church as a "just war". He {{Clarify|date=March 2025}} further argues that the Indian nations had every right to self-defence.<ref>Stogre, pp. 115–116</ref> Stark - 2003 - describes the bull as "magnificent" and believes that it was long forgotten due to the neglect of Protestant historians.<ref>Stark 2003</ref> Falola noted that the bull related to the native populations of the New World and did not condemn the transatlantic slave trade stimulated by the Spanish monarchy and the Holy Roman Emperor.<ref>Falola, p. 107; see also Maxwell, p. 73</ref>

In 1545, Paul repealed an ancient law that allowed slaves to claim their freedom under the emperor's statue on Rome's [[Capitoline Hill]], in view of the number of homeless people and tramps in the city.<ref>Davis, p. 56</ref> The decree included those who had become Christians after their enslavement and those born to Christian slaves. The right of inhabitants of Rome to publicly buy and sell slaves of both sexes was affirmed.<ref>Noonan, p. 79; Stogre, p. 116</ref> Stogre (1992) asserts that the lifting of restrictions was due to a shortage of slaves in Rome.<ref>Stogre, p. 116</ref> In 1548, Paul authorized the purchase and possession of Muslim slaves in the Papal states.<ref>Clarence-Smith</ref>

Also in 1537, Paul issued ''Altitudo divini consilii''. This bull discusses evangelization and conversion, including the real way to apply the sacraments, in particular baptism.{{sfn|Soormally|2018|p=92}} This was especially important in the early days of colonial rule, when hundreds and sometimes thousands of indigenous people were baptized every day.{{sfn|Soormally|2018|p=92}} One interesting aspect of this bull is its discussion of how to deal with local practices, for example, polygamy. After their conversion, polygamous men had to marry their first wife, but if they could not remember which wife was the first, they then "could choose among the wives the one they preferred."{{sfn|Hamann|2020|p=100}}

===Patron of the arts===
Arguably the most significant artistic work produced during Paul's reign was the ''[[Last Judgement (Michelangelo)|Last Judgement]]'' by [[Michelangelo]] in the [[Sistine Chapel]] of the [[Vatican Palace]]. Although the work was commissioned by Paul III's predecessor, [[Pope Clement VII]], following the latter's death in 1534 Paul renewed the commission and oversaw its completion in 1541.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vaticanstate.va/it/|title=Home|website=www.vaticanstate.va|access-date=11 November 2019}}</ref>

[[File:Rafael - Alessandro Farnese.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Portrait of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese]]'' (Later Pope Paul III) by [[Raphael]], 1512.]]
As a cardinal, Alessandro had begun construction of the [[Palazzo Farnese]] in central Rome, and its planned size and magnificence increased upon his election to the papacy. The palace was initially designed by the architect [[Antonio da Sangallo the Younger]], received further architectural refinement from [[Michelangelo]], and was completed by [[Giacomo della Porta]]. Like other Farnese family buildings, the imposing palace proclaims the family's power and wealth, similarly to Alessandro's [[Villa Farnese]] at Caprarola. In 1546, after the death of Sangallo, Paul appointed the elderly Michelangelo to take supervision of the building of [[St. Peter's Basilica]]. Paul also commissioned Michelangelo to paint the 'Crucifixion of St. Peter' and the 'Conversion of St. Paul' (1542–50), his last frescoes, in the [[Cappella Paolina|Pauline Chapel]] of the Vatican.

Paul III's artistic and architectural commissions were numerous and varied. The [[Venice|Venetian]] artist [[Titian]] painted a portrait of the pope in 1543, and in 1546, the well-known portrait of Paul III with his grandsons Cardinal Alessandro Farnese and [[Ottavio Farnese, Duke of Parma]]. Both are now in the [[Capodimonte Museum]] in Naples. The military fortifications in Rome and the Papal States were strengthened during his reign.<ref>Verellen Till R., ibid.</ref> He had Michelangelo move the ancient bronze of the Emperor [[Marcus Aurelius]] to the [[Capitoline Hill]], where it became the centerpiece to the [[Piazza del Campidoglio]].

===Other activities===
====Society of Jesus and religious orders====
On 27 September 1540, Paul III formally approved the establishment of the [[Society of Jesus]] in the [[papal bull]], ''[[Regimini militantis Ecclesiae]]''. Originally, Paul III restricted the fledgling order to 60 members in the bull ''Iniunctum nobis'', but he lifted that restriction upon seeing just how effective they were in their missionary actions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/dailyquote/9/27|title=The Jesuits are approved – 1540|publisher=Christian History Institute|date=1920|accessdate=10 March 2022}}</ref> In 1548, he permitted [[Saint Ignatius of Loyola]] to print his ''[[Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola|Spiritual Exercises]]''.

Similarly, in 1540, Paul III approved the Rule of the [[Somaschi Fathers]], and on 9 June 1544, he approved the Rule for the [[Ursulines]] in the bull ''Regimini Universalis''.

====Consistories====
{{main|Cardinals created by Paul III}}
Throughout his papacy, Paul III elevated 71 cardinals in 12 consistories. Six of those whom he named, and later revealed publicly, were nominated "''[[in pectore]]''". Among those he named were his three immediate successors: [[Pope Julius III|Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte]] (the future Pope Julius III), Marcello Cervini (the future [[Pope Marcellus II]]), and Gian Pietro Carafa (the future [[Pope Paul IV]]). Among those he named were [[Reginald Pole]], [[Rodrigo Luis de Borja y de Castre-Pinós]] (the great-great-grandson of [[Pope Alexander VI]]), [[Ippolito II d'Este]] (the grandson of Pope Alexander VI), and [[Enrique de Borja y Aragón]] (the great-grandson of Pope Alexander VI). Paul III also named [[John Fisher]] as a cardinal, but King [[Henry VIII]] had him executed after warning the pope not to nominate him.

In 1535, Paul III intended to nominate Desiderius [[Erasmus]] to the cardinalate, but he declined on the grounds of ill health and his age. In preparations for the 1542 consistory, Paul III intended to nominate [[Giovanni Guidiccioni]], but the latter died before the consistory took place. In that 1542 consistory, according to Conradus Eubel, the pope is said to have reserved an undefined number of other cardinals ''in pectore''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cardinals.fiu.edu/consistories-xvi.htm#PaulIII|title=Paul III (1534–1549)|publisher=The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church|date=|author=Salvador Miranda|accessdate=10 March 2022}}</ref>

====Canonizations====
During his papacy, Paul III canonized [[Ginés de la Jara]] (1541).

== Death ==
[[File:S. Peter, Rome, Italy. (2830835909).jpg|thumbnail|left|Rome, Italy. St. Peter's, tomb of Paul III. Brooklyn Museum Archives, Goodyear Archival Collection.]]
On 3 November 1549, Paul III celebrated the anniversary of his papal coronation. However, the pope was severely depressed by the deceit of his own family and the fall of Parma to Emperor Charles V, and it is known that he had a very heated argument with his cardinal nephew, [[Alessandro Farnese (cardinal)|Alessandro Farnese]], to the point that he grabbed his red beretta, tore it into shreds, and threw it down to the ground in his anger. He had worked himself up so much to the point that he may have suffered a [[heart attack]]. On 6 November, the pope suddenly contracted a [[fever]], retreating to the [[Quirinal Hill]] where he had hoped that the fresher air would help ease his malady. On 7 November, the agent of King [[Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand I]] of Bohemia and Hungary, Diego Lasso, wrote that the pope's temperature had increased that morning, while the French ambassador in Rome reported to King [[Henry II of France]] that Paul III suffered from a [[catarrh]] at 7:00 pm, opining that the pope had very little time to live.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/SV1549.html|title=Sede Vacante 1549–1550|publisher=CSUN|author=John Paul Adams|date=25 April 2016|accessdate=10 March 2022}}</ref> 

Paul III died on 10 November 1549 from a catarrh. It is said that he repented of his nepotism on his deathbed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Paul III - Council of Trent, Papal Reforms, Reformation {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paul-III/The-Council-of-Trent |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

Paul III's bronze tomb, executed by [[Guglielmo della Porta]], is located in Saint Peter's Basilica.

==Fictional portrayal==
[[Stendhal]]'s novel ''[[La Chartreuse de Parme]]'' was inspired by an inauthentic Italian account of the dissolute youth of Alessandro Farnese.<ref>M. R.B. Shaw, introduction to Penguin Classics 1958 translation of ''[[The Charterhouse of Parma]]''</ref>

The character of [[List of The Tudors characters|Pope Paul III]], played by [[Peter O'Toole]], in the series ''[[The Tudors]]'' is loosely inspired by him. The young Alessandro Farnese is played by [[Diarmuid Noyes]] in the serial ''[[Borgia (TV series)|Borgia]]'' and by [[Cyron Melville]] in ''[[The Borgias (2011 TV series)|The Borgias]]''. His image is portrayed in a parody of the ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' album cover, placed inside of the album ''[[We're Only in It for the Money]]'' by the [[Mothers of Invention]].

==See also==
* [[Catholic Church in the Azores]], diocese created by Pope Paul III in 1534
* [[Cardinals created by Paul III]]
* [[Mérindol massacre]], supported by Paul III

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
* Clarence-Smith, William G., [https://web.archive.org/web/20070816155150/http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/economicHistory/GEHN/GEHNPDF/ClarenceSmithWASHINGTON.pdf "Religions and the abolition of slavery&nbsp;– a comparative approach"], at Global Economic History Network (GEHN) conference entitled 'Culture and economic performance', Washington DC, 7–10 September 2006. <!-- dead url [http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/economicHistory/GEHN/GEHNPDF/ClarenceSmithWASHINGTON.pdf] -->
*Davis, David Brion, ''The Problem of Slavery in Western Culture'', Oxford University Press U.S., 1988, {{ISBN|0-19-505639-6}}
*''The Encyclopedia Of Christianity'', Volume 5, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2008, {{ISBN|0-8028-2417-X}}
*[[Toyin Falola|Falola, Toyin]], and Amanda Warnock, ''Encyclopedia of the Middle Passage'', Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007, {{ISBN|0-313-33480-3}}
*{{cite book |title=Farnese: Pomp, Power, and Politics in Renaissance Italy |first=Helge |last=Gamrath |publisher=L'Erma Di Bretschneider |year=2007}}
*{{cite book |title=Bad Christians, New Spains Muslims, Catholics, and Native Americans in a Mediterratlantic World |first=Byron Ellsworth |last=Hamann |publisher=Routledge |year=2020 }}
*{{cite book |title=Catherine De'Medici |first=R.J. |last=Knecht |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2014}}
*Lampe, Armando, ''Christianity in the Caribbean: Essays on Church History'', 2001, University of the West Indies Press, {{ISBN|976-640-029-6}}
*Maxwell, John Francis, ''Slavery and the Catholic Church: The History of Catholic Teaching Concerning the Moral Legitimacy of the Institution of Slavery'', 1975, Chichester Barry-Rose, {{ISBN|0-85992-015-1}}
* Panzer, Father Joel S, [http://www.churchinhistory.org/pages/booklets/slavery.pdf ''The Popes and Slavery''], The Church In History Centre, 22 April 2008, retrieved 9 August 2009
*Stark, Rodney, [http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/julyweb-only/7-14-53.0.html "The truth about the Catholic Church and slavery"], ''Christianity Today'', 7 January 2003 
*{{cite book |title=Henry VIII |first=J. J. |last=Scarisbrick |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2011}}
*{{cite book |title=Idolatry and the Construction of the Spanish Empire |first=Mina García |last=Soormally |publisher=University Press of Colorado |year=2018 }}
* Stogre, Michael, S.J, ''That the World May Believe: The Development of Papal Social Thought on Aboriginal Rights'', Médiaspaul, 1992, {{ISBN|2-89039-549-9}}
*Thornberry, Patrick, ''Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights'', Manchester University Press, 2002, {{ISBN|0-7190-3794-8}}
*{{cite book |title=Vitoria: Political Writings |first=Francisco |last=de Vitoria |editor-first1=Anthony |editor-last1=Pagden |editor-first2=Jeremy |editor-last2=Lawrance |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1991}}

==External links==
*{{commons category-inline|Paulus III}}
*{{wikisource author-inline}}
*{{wikiquote-inline}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090719102105/http://www.onlipix.com/kings/italy/farnese.htm Farnese family tree] from about 1390 to 1766.
* [http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Paul03/p3subli.htm Sublimus Dei&nbsp;– On the Enslavement and Evangelization of Indians in the New World&nbsp;– 1537]
* {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Paul (popes)|display=Paul. The name of five popes. Paul III|year=1905 |short=x}}
* {{Schaff-Herzog|title=Paul III|author= K. Benrath|page=395}}
* {{Librivox author |id=15712}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-rel|ca}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Philippe de Luxembourg]]}} 
{{s-ttl|title=[[Cardinal-bishop of Frascati]]|years=1519–1523}} 
{{s-aft|after=[[François Guillaume de Castelnau-Clermont-Ludève]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Francesco Soderini]]}} 
{{s-ttl|title=[[Cardinal-bishop of Palestrina]]|years=1523}} 
{{s-aft|after=[[Antonio Maria Ciocchi del Monte]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Niccolò Fieschi]]}} 
{{s-ttl|title=[[Cardinal-bishop of Sabina]]|years=1523–1524}} 
{{s-aft|after=[[Pietro Accolti]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Domenico Grimani]]}} 
{{s-ttl|title=[[Cardinal-bishop of Porto]]|years=1524}} 
{{s-aft|after=[[Antonio Maria Ciocchi del Monte]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Niccolò Fieschi]]|rows=2}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Cardinal-bishop of Ostia]]|years=1524–1534}} 
{{s-aft|after=[[Giovanni Piccolomini]]|rows=2}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Dean of the College of Cardinals]]|years=1524–1534}} 
{{s-bef|before=[[Pope Clement VII|Clement VII]]}} 
{{s-ttl|title=[[Pope]]|years= 13 October 1534&nbsp;– 10 November 1549}} 
{{s-aft|after=[[Pope Julius III|Julius III]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Popes}}
{{Catholicism}}
{{History of the Catholic Church}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paul 03}}
[[Category:Pope Paul III| ]]
[[Category:Italian popes]]
[[Category:Deans of the College of Cardinals]]
[[Category:Cardinal-bishops of Frascati]]
[[Category:Cardinal-bishops of Ostia]]
[[Category:Cardinal-bishops of Palestrina]]
[[Category:Cardinal-bishops of Porto]]
[[Category:Cardinal-bishops of Sabina]]
[[Category:Cardinals created by Pope Alexander VI]]
[[Category:Bishops of Parma]]
[[Category:Bishops of Saint-Pons-de-Thomières]]
[[Category:Council of Trent]]
[[Category:People from the Province of Viterbo]]
[[Category:House of Farnese]]
[[Category:16th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops]]
[[Category:1468 births]]
[[Category:1549 deaths]]
[[Category:Popes]]
[[Category:16th-century popes]]
[[Category:Burials at St. Peter's Basilica]]
[[Category:University of Pisa alumni]]
[[Category:Italian art patrons]]