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Bible Encyclopedias
Pius IV
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
or pope of Rome from 1560 to 1565, whose original name was Giovanni Angelo redici or Medichini, was born at Milan, Italy, March 31, 1499. He was originally a student of law and devoted to the legal profession, but his brother won him over to the ecclesiastical ranks, and in 1549 he was made cardinal by pope Paul III. Pius IV was elected successor to pope Paul IV (q.v.) about the close of 1559, a very critical period in papal history, and was crowned Jan. 6, 1560. The most important act of his pontificate was, at Easter, 1561, the reassembling of the Council of Trent which had been prorogued under Paul IV. Pius was particularly intent upon checking the spread of heresy, which had taken root in several parts of Italy, besides the valleys of Piedmont, and especially in some districts of Calabria. The Spanish viceroy of Naples sent his troops, assisted by an inquisitor and a number of monks, to exterminate by fire and sword the heretics of Calabria. Emmanuel Philibert, duke of Savoy, after attacking with an armed force the Waldenses, who made a gallant resistance, agreed to allow them the exercise of their religion within their own districts subject to certain regulations. The quarrels between the Catholics and Protestants in France were more difficult to settle. Some of the French Catholic prelates, among others Monluc, bishop of Valence, and the cardinal of Lorraine, recommended large concessions to be made to the Protestants with the hope of reconciling them to the Church, and queen Catharine di Medici wrote to the pope to that effect. The pope referred the matter to the council, and in the mean time Catharine published the edict of pacification, in January 1562, which allowed the Protestants liberty of conscience, and leave to perform their worship in country places, but not within walled towns. The prelates sent by France to the Council of Trent, and several councilors of the Parliament of Paris who were also ordered to attend in the name of the king, spoke loudly of the necessity of an extensive reform in the Church, and seemed disposed to render the bishops more independent of the see of Rome. The cardinal of Lorraine was of opinion that the mass and other offices should be performed in the vulgar or popular language of each country; but the Italian prelates, and Lainez, general of the Jesuits, supported the maintenance of the established form of worship, as well as of the papal authority in all its existing plenitude. The discussions grew warm, and it was only in the following year, 1563, that the two parties came to an understanding.
The council terminated its sittings in December of that year, and the pope confirmed its decrees by a bull. This was the principal event of the life of Pius IV. True, the Tridentine Council was not the most important that has ever met, but at all events it is the most important that has met in modern times. Its importance is comprised in two grand principles.' By the one dogmatic theology, after divers fluctuations, separated itself from Protestant views forever, and the doctrine of justification as then established gave rise to the entire system of Roman Catholic dogmatics as maintained to our day. By the other the hierarchy became founded anew, theoretically by the decrees respecting ordination to the priesthood, practically by the resolutions on the subject of reform. The faithful were again subjected to an intolerant Church discipline, and in urgent cases to the sword of excommunication. As the pope held the exclusive right of interpreting the Tridentine decisions, it ever remains with him to prescribe the rules of faith and manners. All the threads of the restored discipline converged together in Rome. Such progress could only have been made by means of a community of sentiment and action with the leading Roman Catholic powers. In this union with the monarchies there lies one of the most important conditions for the whole subsequent development of Romanism, and were it for nothing else Pius IV would still be an important person in the history of the world, for he was the first pope that knowingly suffered or caused the claim of the hierarchy to place itself in opposition to monarchical government. After the council Pius IV relaxed all energy, neglected religion, ate and drank too eagerly, and took an excessive delight in the splendor of his court, in sumptuous festivities, and in costly buildings. He evidently had done his work. He died in December, 1565. His disposition was generous, and he embellished Rome; but he was guilty of the common fault of nepotism. He made his nephew, Charles Borromeo, a cardinal, who afterwards became celebrated as archbishop of Milan; and he instituted proceedings against the nephews of the late pope, cardinal Carlo Caraffa, and his brother the duke of Paliano, who were accused of various crimes, which were said to be proved against them, and both were executed. But in the succeeding pontificate of Pius V, the proceedings being revised, the two brothers Caraffa were declared to have been unjustly condemned. See Ranke, Papacy, 1, 234 sq., et al.; Bower, Hist. of the Popes (see Index): Leonardi, Oratio de laudibus Pii IV (Padua, 1565); Panvinius, Vita Pii IV; Jervis, Ch. Hist. of France, p. 147, 159, 162; Foulkes, Divisions of Christendom, vol. 1, 68; Janus, Pope and Council, p. 418; Cramp, Popery, p. 264 sq.; Fisher, Reformation, p. 411; Montor, Hist. des Souver. Pontifes, 4, 183 sq.
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McClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Pius IV'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/p/pius-iv.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.
