Julius II
Julius II, born Giuliano della Rovere (1443 – 1513), also known as The Fearsome Pope and The Warrior Pope, was the Pope from 1503 to 1513, and was the successor of Pius III (whose predecessor was Alexander VI). He was also the nephew of Sixtus IV.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Rivalry with the Borgia[edit | edit source]
Giuliano was a long time nemesis of the House of Borgia, maintaining his rivalry even when they came to power and controlled all of Rome. When the Assassins began their battle against the Borgia, Giuliano quickly became an ally of the Order and supported them in their efforts to defeat the Borgia forces.[1]
Becoming Pope[edit | edit source]
After the short reign of Pius III, Giuliano was elected Pope in 1503, to which he took the name of Julius, not after the 4th-century Pope, Julius I, but the Roman dictator, Julius Caesar. Julius II then ordered a warrant for the arrest of Cesare Borgia, for the crimes of murder, betrayal, and incest. Cesare would ultimately be arrested by Fabio Orsini following his defeat by the Italian Assassins.[1][2]
In 1505, Julius learned of Leonardo da Vinci's previous work as an engineer for Cesare, having created several war machines for his army. Despite Cesare's imprisonment and Leonardo's unwilling cooperation, Julius elected to deprive the Borgia of the inventor's genius and secretly put a hit on him. Fortunately, Leonardo was saved by his friend Ezio Auditore, the Mentor of the Italian Assassins, who killed Julius' mercenaries before they could reach Leonardo.[3]
Alliance with the Assassins[edit | edit source]
After the fall of the Borgia, Julius worked to rebuild Rome and revive the city from the decrepit state that it had fallen into during the period of Borgia rule. During this time, he revised his opinion of Leonardo and decided to employ his services himself, hiring Leonardo as a military engineer for his army.[1]
Julius also became an ally of the Assassins, receiving counsel from Ezio, though he opposed the Mentor's decision to kill the imprisoned Cesare, even as Ezio claimed that Cesare still posed a threat. Instead, the Pope reached an agreement with King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I to have Cesare transferred to a more secure prison in Spain, and declined to tell Ezio its location.[1]
After learning from Leonardo's apprentice Salaì about a Piece of Eden held by the Assassins, Julius met with Ezio to discuss the artifact. The Pope concluded it was best for the Piece of Eden to remain with the Assassins, although he advised Ezio to hide it, so that it could be used by future generations.[1]
Intending to curb the Venetian influence in northern Italy, Julius created the League of Cambrai, which served as an anti-Venetian alliance that also included Louis XII of France, the Holy Roman Emperor Maximillian I, and Ferdinand II of Aragon. The League was initially a success, but the friction between Julius and Louis caused it to collapse by 1510.[4]
Trivia[edit | edit source]
- In the Prophecy of the Popes, Julius is named "Fructus Iovis Iuvabit", meaning "The fruit of Jupiter will help".[5]
- Historically, the chief instigator of the Pazzi conspiracy, Pope Sixtus IV, was Giuliano's uncle who was the key to his rise to cardinalate. It is therefore likely that Giuliano, while not entirely a supporter of the conspiracy, favored his uncle's choices, making him an enemy of Lorenzo de' Medici.
- Like Rodrigo Borgia or Alexander VI, bribery played a part in Julius's election as Pope but he later used his position in declaring bribed elections invalid.
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy (first mentioned)
- Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood novel (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Identity (mentioned in Database entry only)
- Assassin's Creed: Reflections (mentioned only)