See Also: Paul III(encyclopedia)
de Man, Paul(encyclopedia)
St. Paul(tourism)
Paul(dictionary)
PAUL Y. ENG(finance)
St Paul(dictionary)
Paul, Les(encyclopedia)
Paul(tourism)
Paul VI(encyclopedia)
Paul(encyclopedia)

Paul III (sh)




orig. Alessandro Farnese

born Feb. 29, 1468, Canino, Papal States
died Nov. 10, 1549, Rome

Pope (1534-49).

The son of a noble Tuscan family, he was made a cardinal-deacon in 1493 and served as bishop in Parma and Ostia before being named dean of the College of Cardinals by Pope Leo X. Ordained a priest in 1519, he was unanimously elected pope in 1534. Though loose in morals in earlier years (he had three sons and a daughter), he became an efficient promoter of reform, convening the Council of Trent in 1545 and initiating the Counter-Reformation. He also supported the newly founded Jesuits and was a patron of the arts, the last in the tradition of the Renaissance popes.