Who he was
Francesco della Rovere was born to poor parents and given to the Franciscans as a child. He became a noted theologian, teaching at Padua, Bologna, Pavia, Siena and Florence, and served as Minister General of his order before Paul II made him a cardinal in 1467; he wrote on the Precious Blood and the Immaculate Conception. Elected in August 1471, he first tried to rouse Europe against the Turks and then became deeply involved in Italian politics. He died in Rome in August 1484.
What he is remembered for
He built the Sistine Chapel, which bears his name, and the Ponte Sisto, re-founded the Vatican Library, and did much to make Rome healthy and habitable. His reign is also remembered for his heavy favouring of his relatives and for the war with Florence that followed the Pazzi conspiracy of 1478. In his private life he was blameless.
Sources
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