Pope Adrian VI |
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Bishop of Rome | |
Papacy began | 9 January 1522 |
Papacy ended | 14 September 1523 |
Predecessor | Leo X |
Successor | Clement VII |
Orders | |
Ordination | 30 June 1490 |
Consecration | August 1516 by Diego Ribera de Toledo |
Created Cardinal | 1 July 1517 by Pope Leo X |
Personal details | |
Birth name | Adriaan Floriszoon Boeyens |
Born |
2 March 1459 Utrecht, Bishopric of Utrecht, Holy Roman Empire |
Died |
14 September 1523 (aged 64) Rome, Papal States |
Nationality | Dutch |
Previous post |
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Motto | Patere et sustine ("Respect and wait") |
Coat of arms | |
Papal styles of Pope Adrian VI |
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Reference style | His Holiness |
Spoken style | Your Holiness |
Religious style | Holy Father |
Posthumous style | None |
Pope Adrian VI (Latin: Hadrianus VI), born Adriaan Florensz (Boeyens) (2 March 1459 ‒ 14 September 1523), was Pope of the Catholic Church from 9 January 1522 until his death on 14 September 1523. The only Dutchman to become pope, he was the last non-Italian pope until John Paul II, 456 years later.
Born in the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht, Adrian studied at the University of Leuven in the Low Countries, where he rose to the position of professor of theology, also serving as rector (the equivalent of vice-chancellor). In 1507, he became the tutor of the future Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who later trusted him as both his emissary and his regent.
In 1516, Adrian became bishop of Tortosa, Spain, and was soon appointed Grand Inquisitor of the kingdoms of Aragon and Castile. He was appointed cardinal by Pope Leo X in 1517 and elected pope in 1522 as a compromise candidate after Leo's death.
Adrian came to the papacy in the midst of one of its greatest crises, threatened not only by Lutheranism to the north but also by the advance of the Ottoman Turks to the east. He refused to compromise with Lutheranism theologically, demanding Luther's condemnation as a heretic. However, he is noted for having attempted to reform the Catholic Church administratively in response to the Protestant Reformation. His efforts at reform, however, proved fruitless, as they were resisted by most of his Renaissance ecclesiastical contemporaries, and he did not live long enough to see his efforts through to their conclusion. He was succeeded by the Italian Medici pope, Clement VII.