Pope Sixtus IV

Reign: 1471 – 1484
Life: 1414–1484

Sixtus IV's accomplishments as pope included the construction of the Sistine Chapel and the creation of the Vatican Library. A patron of the arts, he brought together the group of artists who ushered the early Renaissance into Rome with the first masterpieces of the city's new artistic age. Sixtus created the Spanish Inquisition through the Papal bull Exigit Sinceræ Devotionis (1478), and annulled the Pontifical decrees of the Council of Constance. He was noted for his nepotism and was personally involved in the Pazzi conspiracy, a plot to remove the Medici family from power in Florence.

During Pope Sixtus IV's reign, Louis XI of France ruled France, Afonso V of Portugal ruled Portugal, and Mehmed II ruled Ottoman Empire.

Want to learn more? Further reading

Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy by John Julius Norwich

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The World During Their Reign

The most notable rulers who held power elsewhere at the same time, from European courts to Ottoman, Mughal, and Chinese thrones.

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From the library

Go deeper on Pope Sixtus IV

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Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy

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