Pope Urban VIII

Reign: 1623 – 1644
Life: 1568–1644

As pope, he expanded the papal territory by force of arms and advantageous politicking, and was also a prominent patron of the arts, commissioning works from artists like Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and a reformer of Church missions. His papacy also covered 21 years of the Thirty Years' War. The massive debts incurred during his pontificate greatly weakened his successors, who were unable to maintain the papacy's longstanding political and military influence in Europe. He is the last pope to date to take the papal name Urban.

During Pope Urban VIII's reign, Charles I of England ruled England, Shah Jahan ruled Mughal Empire, and Philip IV of Spain ruled Spain.

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 Urban VIII

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Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy

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