The Medici Popes - Part 2: The most unfortunate of Popes

Hannah French with the second of two programmes exploring the lives of two 16th Century Popes: Leo X and Clement VII, and the music that surrounded them. Having been brought up together in the wealthy and influential Florentine household of the Medicis, cousins Giovanni & Giulio were always destined for greatness. As Pope Leo X, Giovanni was a lavish patron of the arts. He sanctioned major renovations on St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, extended the Sistine Chapel Choir, promoted the study of Greek, Arabic & Hebrew, commissioned works from artists such as Raphael & Peruzzi, and maintained a private orchestra as well as the official papal musicians. In order to fund these lavish artistic interests, Leo X encouraged the purchase of indulgences - remissions of the temporal punishment for sins – which could only be afforded by the most wealthy. Leo was also portrayed by his opponents as a man of gross excess; there were suggestions of sexual impropriety, favouritism and immorality, all of which were fuel to the fire of the burgeoning Protestant Reformation in northern Europe. Needless to say, Leo spent way above the papal means, and when he died suddenly in 1521, the papal treasury was 400,000 ducats in debt. Leo’s right-hand man throughout his papacy was his beloved cousin, Giulio de Medici. Within three months of Leo’s election as Pope, Giulio had been made Archbishop of Florence, and just three more months down the line, he was appointed Cardinal of Santa Maria in Dominica. By 1517, Cardinal Giulio was made Vice-Chancellor of the Church (ie, second in command). He became deeply involved in the politics of England, France and the Holy Roman Empire, which would eventually backfire on him spectacularly… When Cardinal Giulio was elected to the heady heights of the Papacy in 1523, as Pope Clement VII, little did he know the struggles that lay ahead. There was already the threat of the Lutherans from northern Europe and the Turks were making in-roads into the east. Plus, there was the childish squabbling of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and King Francis I of France, who both demanded the Pope choose a side, leading to the Sack of Rome in 1527. And six years later, he had Henry VIII’s divorce to deal with. All of this while having to impose austerity measures in an attempt to pay off some of the debts left by his own cousin! Like his cousin, Pope Clement VII was also a gifted musician. It's likely he too learned from the great composer Heinrich Isaac while growing up in Florence, and over the years he had dealings with the likes of Nicolas Gombert, Jean Mouton, Philippe Verdelot and Costanzo Festa as the music of the High Renaissance swirled around him.

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The Medici Popes - Part 2: The most unfortunate of Popes is an episode from The Early Music Show by BBC.

This episode is 30:06 long.

This episode was published on Oct 22, 2025.

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