Speaker 1: While he watched the funeral of one pope earlier this
Speaker 1: month and the election of another Pope, Leo the fourteenth,
Speaker 1: whose inaugural mass was just this week. But there was
Speaker 1: another Leo, Pope Leo the tenth, and his reign was
Speaker 1: one of the wildest in history. A cardinal at the
Speaker 1: age of thirteen, he was elected pope in fifteen thirteen
Speaker 1: at the age of just thirty eight, and for him
Speaker 1: it was all about partying to excess. I'm Paddi Steele,
Speaker 1: party like a pope. That's next on the backstory. The
Speaker 1: backstory is back. Born Giovanni de Lorenzo de Medici in
Speaker 1: fourteen seventy five, Pope Leo the tenth had a lot
Speaker 1: to live up to right from the beginning. His father
Speaker 1: was known as Lorenzo the Magnificent, as a little intimidating
Speaker 1: for his kid, and the Medici family was the most
Speaker 1: powerful in their city of Florence, and in fact in
Speaker 1: all of Italy. For a time, they were the richest
Speaker 1: family in Europe. They had interests in politics, banking, and
Speaker 1: of course the church. In fact, Leo the tenth was
Speaker 1: the first of four Medici popes, as well as two
Speaker 1: queens of France, including the controversial Catherine de Medici. So
Speaker 1: they held on to their power for centuries. What did
Speaker 1: they do well? The Medici family paid for the rebuilding
Speaker 1: of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, and they financially backed
Speaker 1: artists and scientists like Donatello Barticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo,
Speaker 1: Raphael Machiavelli, and Galileo, among many others. They actually funded
Speaker 1: the invention of the piano as well as opera as
Speaker 1: we know it. So young Giovanni was propelled into power
Speaker 1: by his family legacy and by his father, Lorenzo the Magnificent. Amazingly,
Speaker 1: he was made a cardinal at the age of just thirteen.
Speaker 1: He grew up in the lap of luxury, deeply cultured
Speaker 1: and totally political, and he loved that life. His father
Speaker 1: wanted each of his sons to be even more influential
Speaker 1: than he was himself. So what's next after you've become
Speaker 1: a cardinal at thirteen. Well, in fifteen thirteen, Giovanni reached
Speaker 1: the pinnacle at just thirty eight years of age. Following
Speaker 1: the death of Pope Julius the Second, Giovanni de Medici
Speaker 1: was elected pope. He took the name Leo the Tenth.
Speaker 1: Now it was time to party like a king, or
Speaker 1: in his case, like a pope. The celebrations were insanely extravagant.
Speaker 1: Leo famously said, since God has given us the papacy,
Speaker 1: let us enjoy it. He wanted to live like a king,
Speaker 1: and boy did he no vow of poverty. For him.
Speaker 1: His life was all about extravagant feasts, huge parties, and
Speaker 1: throwing around huge sums of money to fund the arts
Speaker 1: and culture. The papal court of Leo the Tenth rivaled
Speaker 1: that of any king or queen in Europe. Masterpieces funded
Speaker 1: by him and created by Michelangelo, Raphael and others are
Speaker 1: considered priceless today. But Leo wanted more. He was involved
Speaker 1: in a lot of political intrigue, and his military ambitions
Speaker 1: pushed him to gather even more territorial and political power,
Speaker 1: and so he built a powerful army to secure the
Speaker 1: takeover of more territories for the Medici family, and he
Speaker 1: went to war. That's where it started to get sticky.
Speaker 1: He was spending huge amounts of church money on his battles,
Speaker 1: and there were people within the Church that started to
Speaker 1: question it. Most notably the German priest Martin Luther. Pope
Speaker 1: Leo attempted to raise money, ostensibly for the church, but
Speaker 1: mostly to fund his own extravagant lifestyle, his artistic ambitions,
Speaker 1: and his military by selling what are called indulgences. These
Speaker 1: were essentially documents promising forgiveness and reduce time in purgatory
Speaker 1: for a price. Wow, we could all use that now.
Speaker 1: In Germany, a friar working with Leo became infamous for
Speaker 1: selling these indulgences. His sales pitch as soon as a
Speaker 1: coin in the Kaufer Rings a soul from per progatory springs.
Speaker 1: Martin Luther was furious over the corrupt money and the
Speaker 1: departure from honesty and spirituality. So this was actually the
Speaker 1: beginning of the Protestant Reformation and the division of the Church.
Speaker 1: All thanks to Leo. Martin Luther, helped by the newly
Speaker 1: invented printing press, was able to spread his angry message
Speaker 1: all over Europe. Leo, the Party Pope, at first thought
Speaker 1: it was no big deal that Luther was really just
Speaker 1: to nobody, but soon his ideas spread like wildfire, and
Speaker 1: Leo's luxurious lifestyle was suddenly an easy target. For criticism.
Speaker 1: Luther openly denounced the pope's excesses, contrasting his lavish lifestyle
Speaker 1: in Rome with the humble teachings of Jesus Christ. The
Speaker 1: Pope's extravagant banquets, elaborate parties, and intense political meddling validated
Speaker 1: Luther's claims. Now Leo was starting to get irritated. He
Speaker 1: denounced Luther, calling him a heretic. He said he'd be
Speaker 1: excommunicating if he didn't retract his statements about Leo. Martin
Speaker 1: Luther decided to double down on his attacks, and finally,
Speaker 1: in January of fifteen twenty one, Leo the Tenth excommunicated Luther.
Speaker 1: But instead of silencing him, the excommunication put Luther squarely
Speaker 1: in the spotlight. All over Germany and beyond, everybody began
Speaker 1: to follow Martin Luther and denounce the medici Pope Leo.
Speaker 1: They all agreed the church needed to change. Leo had
Speaker 1: indirectly transformed Luther's criticism into a political and religious revolution,
Speaker 1: the Protestant Reformation. But Leo didn't get it. He kept
Speaker 1: spending money and trying to gather power. He lavishly entertained
Speaker 1: he lived like a king, completely oblivious to criticism. In
Speaker 1: doing so, he had ignited one of history's most profound
Speaker 1: religious and cultural upheavals. He's remembered for his artistic and
Speaker 1: cultural contributions, but he was completely led in any spiritual direction.
Speaker 1: Martin Luther went on to create the Lutheran Church and
Speaker 1: to inspire other Protestant religions, changing the religious and cultural
Speaker 1: landscape all over Europe. As for Pope Leo the Tenth,
Speaker 1: the Partying Metichi Pope, he died of pneumonia just months
Speaker 1: after excommunicating Martin Luther. He was just forty five years old.
Speaker 1: Hope you're enjoying The Backstory with Patty steel Please leave
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Speaker 1: if you have a story you'd like me to cover.
Speaker 1: On Facebook, It's Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele.
Speaker 1: I'm Patty Steele. The Backstory is a production of iHeartMedia,
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Speaker 1: Our producer is Doug Fraser. Our writer Jake Kushner. We
Speaker 1: have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to
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Speaker 1: on Instagram at real Patty Steele and on Facebook at
Speaker 1: Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to the backstory with Patty Steele,
Speaker 1: the pieces of history you didn't know you needed to know.