    pope leo x (11 december 1475 â 1 december 1521), born giovanni di lorenzo de' medici, was pope from 9 march 1513 to his death in 1521. the second son of lorenzo the magnificent, ruler of the florentine republic, he was elevated to the cardinalate in 1489. following the death of pope julius ii, giovanni was elected pope after securing the backing of the younger members of the sacred college. early on in his rule he oversaw the closing sessions of the fifth council of the lateran, but failed sufficiently to implement the reforms agreed. in 1517 he led a costly war that succeeded in securing his nephew as duke of urbino, but which damaged the papal finances. he later only narrowly escaped a plot by some cardinals to poison him. he is probably best remembered for granting indulgences for those who donated to reconstruct [[st. pet
1475_births 1521_deaths 15th-century_Italian_people 16th-century_Italian_people Anti-Protestantism Burials_at_Santa_Maria_sopra_Minerva Cardinal-nephews House_of_Medici Italian_popes People_from_Florence Popes Renaissance_Papacy Simony