Papacy

Where are the paintings? This article is in need of more images and/or better quality pictures from official media in order to achieve a higher status. You can help the Assassin's Creed Wiki by uploading better images on this page.

This article is a stub. You can help Assassin's Creed Wiki by expanding it.

Ezio, my friend! How may I be of service? This article is in desperate need of a revamp. Please improve it in any way necessary in order for it to achieve a higher standard of quality in accordance with our Manual of Style.

The Papacy (also known as the Bishopric of Rome) is the office of the Pope. The Pope is considered the head of the Catholic Church in spiritual matters, and issues letters and Papal Bulls to mediate crises or theological arguments. The Papacy during that time could also order military conquests, the most significant of which are the Crusades. In succeeding generations, the Papacy's temporal power and influence grew with the number of Catholics. During the Renaissance, the Papacy ruled the country of Italy, with its capital in Rome. The Pope is also in control of the assets of the Church, however the management of the Church's income is left to the cardinals. The Papacy is also protected by personal guards, called Papal Guards, though in modern times, they are known as the Swiss Guard. Though the Pope is no longer considered the head of state of Italy, the Papacy is still recognized as a major figure in world politics.

History

The Papal Staff, a piece of Eden.

The Pope, in early times, was a mediator between the growing factions of the Church, deciding on temporal and spiritual disputes. The leaders of the Church during that time, took on the title of the Bishop of Rome. Several Popes had taken oath between Saint Peter's death and the Edict of Milan. They had to guide the people in proper doctrine and help the persecuted Christians hide and flee. However, with the coming of the Edict of Milan in 313, Christianity came out of the underground, and became officially sanctioned and spread to the ends of the far-flung territories of the Roman Empire. With the split into East and West, the Church stayed with the Western Roman Empire while the Eastern Roman Empire had their own Bishop. This split gave an advantage however, as the Pope was granted more room to exercise political power.

During the Renaissance, the Staff was passed from Pope to Pope. Until eventually it came into possession of Rodrigo Borgia when he was elected in 1492, under the name Alexander VI.

The Crusades

With the granting of autonomy, the succeeding Popes became increasingly powerful. Outpourings of religious piety were common due to the process of knighthood, leading to the growth of an army at the Church's disposal. The failure of the Second Crusade lead to a temporary peace, until Saladin conquered Jerusalem, making Pope Gregory VIII call for the Third Crusade, the objective of which was to reclaim Jerusalem and Solomon's Temple. The Templars (known as the Knights Templar at that time), partook actively in this Crusade, though only for their own personal gain, such as finding the Apple hidden in Solomon's Temple, and attempting to destroy the Assassins Order. The Assassins sought to counter their efforts, and Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad was able to prevent the Templars from gaining possession of the Apple, snd kept Robert de Sable and his Templar followers from creating a union between King Richard and Saladin, to begin a war against the Assassin Order.

Renaissance

The Papacy, even after the failure of the Crusades, continued to maintain their power during the Renaissance. They sponsored lavish constructions and works of religious art through the patronage of artists like Michelangelo, Dante Alighieri and Leonardo da Vinci.

Saint Peter's Basilica

In 1471, Sixtus IV ascended to the position of Pope, and continued the work of his predecessors, but also practiced nepotism, appointing four nephews, one of which was Giuliano della Rovere, later known as Pope Julius II. Sixtus is most known for his involvement and support of the Pazzi Conspiracy to assassinate Giuliano de' Medici and Lorenzo de' Medici. On his death, two candidates presented themselves: Rodrigo Borgia and Giuliano della Rovere. The cardinals, who were alleged to have been brought by Rodrigo, nominated him to be Pope, taking the name of Alexander VI. As Pope, Rodrigo gained access to the Papal Staff, a Piece of Eden. With it, he learned the location of the Vault, found underneath the Sistine Chapel. However, the Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze was able to prevent him from entering, and went in himself, where he received the message from Minerva. Upon exiting the Vault, Rodrigo had vanished, though the Staff was still there, though after trying to lift it out of the floor, it disappeared into the ground, and only resurfaced years later as the sceptre of the Russian Tsars. Ezio, along with his uncle Mario Auditore, then left the building and returned to Monteriggioni.

He too made several nepotistic appointments, including making his own son; Cesare Borgia, a cardinal, though Cesare quit to continue the bloodline after his brother died and to become the Captain-General of the Papal Armies. Rodrigo and Cesare ordered the closure of many merchants and stables, and allowed the condition of many

File:Popeface.jpg

The papal robes worn by Alexander VI, with the original Papal Staff.

landmarks to deteriorate. They also took chosen areas of land and built Borgia Towers to terrorize the populace and ensure their control of Rome. Cesare also undertook several military conquests attributed to his father, the most important of which, was the Siege of Monteriggioni, where Cesare stole the Apple from Mario before killing him, then invited Ezio to follow him to Rome. Cesare, using his father's influence, forced many artists to work in building siegebreakers and new machines for war for their own use, most notably Leonardo da Vinci. However, after Rodrigo's death at his own son's hands, Giuliano della Rovere was elected to the Papacy, taking on the name Julius II. He ordered the arrest of Cesare, who was incarcerated at the Castel Sant'Angelo and later, the Castillo de la Mota in Spain. Julius sought to rid the Papacy of nepotistic appointments, simony and other crimes, executing those who were caught in such acts. The Papacy continued with Leo X, a member of the House of Medici, who allowed the Church to deteriorate, culminating in the Protestant Reformation.

Trivia

• The Pope has traditionally been the target of conspiracy theories, including the rumoured presence of a passage on the Tiara that corresponds to the number 666, as well as a female Pope who gave birth in a Papal procession.