Who he was
Giovanni Angelo Medici came of a modest Milanese family, unrelated to the Medici of Florence. He studied philosophy, medicine and law at Pavia and Bologna, took a doctorate in law, and came to Rome in 1527, where he served Clement VII and Paul III, governing several cities of the Papal States. Paul III made him a cardinal in 1549, and after a conclave of more than three months he was elected by acclamation and crowned in January 1560. He died of fever in Rome in December 1565, with St Philip Neri and St Charles Borromeo at his bedside.
What he is remembered for
He brought the Council of Trent to its close in 1563 and issued the Profession of Faith required of everyone holding Church office. He made his nephew, St Charles Borromeo, a cardinal and his close helper. He reformed the Roman courts, founded the papal printing press, and built widely in Rome, including Michelangelo's church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, where he is buried.
Sources
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