Pope Pius II

Pope Pius II (; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), born Enea Silvio Piccolomini ,  was an Italian priest of the Roman Catholic Church and the 211th Pope from August 19, 1458 until his death in 1464. "List of Popes,"  Catholic Encyclopedia (2009); retrieved 2011-11-02.

Early life
Pius II was born at Corsignano, which is near Siena."Pope Pius II," Catholic Encyclopedia; retrieved 2011-10-31.  He was the oldest of 18 children.

He studied at the University of Siena.

He was ordained in 1446.

Bishop
In 1447, Pope Nicholas V made Piccolomini Bishop of Trieste.  In 1450, he was made Bishop of Siena.

Cardinal
In 1456, Pope Calixtus III raised Bishop Piccolomini to the rank of cardinal.

Pope
Cardinal Piccolomini was elected pope in 1458.  The pope chose to be called "Pius" because of the adjective pious which recurs in the phrase "pius Aeneas"Moseley, Nicholas.  "Pius Aeneas," The Classical Journal, Vol. 20, No. 7 (Apr., 1925), pp. 387-400; retrieved 2011-10-31. in Virgil's  Aeneid.

Pope Pius was involved in Italian and European political disputes.

According to Niccolò Machiavelli, "Pius showed himself mindful above all of the welfare of Christendom and of the honour of the Church, independent of any private passion or interest of his own."Penny cyclopaedia,  Vol. 18, p. 198, citing Niccolò Machiavelli. (1532).  Historie fiorentine (History of Florence and of the affairs of Italy: from the earliest times to the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent).

St. Catherine of Siena was canonized during his reign.

Selected works
In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about Pope Pius II, OCLC/WorldCat includes roughly 20+ works in 30+ publications in 5 languages and 120+ library holdings. WorldCat Identities, Catholic Church Pope (1458-1464: Pius II);  Pius II Pope 1405-1464
 De miseria curialium (1485)
 Epistolæ in pontificatu editæ (1487)
 Aeneas Siluius in Europam (1490)
 Eneas siluius de remedio amoris Somniu fortune eiusdem (1490)
 Epistolae familiares (1492)
 Lystoire de Eurialus et Lucresse, vrays amoureux (1493)
 Commentarii rerum memorabilium quae temporibus suis contigerunt (1584)

Related pages 
 List of popes

References

Other websites


 Tomb of Pius II 

  Catholic Hierarchy, Pope Pius II
  Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church ,  Cardinal Piccolomini 
  "The Piccolomini Library" 

Category:1405 births
Category:1464 deaths
Category:Italian popes