Felice Peretti
|
Pope Sixtus V |
|
|---|---|
| Bishop of Rome | |
 |
|
| Papacy began | 24 April 1585 |
| Papacy ended | 27 August 1590 |
| Predecessor | Gregory XIII |
| Successor | Urban VII |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1547 |
| Consecration | 12 January 1567 by Antonio Lauro |
| Created Cardinal | 17 May 1570 by Pius V |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Felice Piergentile to Grottammare, then Felice Peretti |
| Born |
13 December 1521 Grottammare, Papal States |
| Died | 27 August 1590 (aged 69) Rome, Papal States |
| Previous post |
|
| Coat of arms |  |
|
Papal styles of Pope Sixtus V |
|
|---|---|
|
|
| Reference style | His Holiness |
| Spoken style | Your Holiness |
| Religious style | Holy Father |
| Posthumous style | None |
Pope Sixtus V or Xystus V (13 December 1521 – 27 August 1590), born Felice Peretti di Montalto, ruled from 24 April 1585 to his death in 1590. As a youth, he joined the Franciscan order, where he displayed talents as a scholar and preacher, and enjoyed the patronage of Pius V, who made him a cardinal.
As Pope, he energetically rooted out corruption and lawlessness across Rome, and launched a far-sighted rebuilding programme that continues to provoke controversy, as it involved the destruction of antiquities. The cost of these works was met by heavy taxation that caused much suffering. His foreign policy was regarded as over-ambitious, and he excommunicated both Elizabeth I of England and Henry IV of France. He is recognized as a significant figure of the Counter-Reformation.
Felice Peretti was born on 13 December 1521 at Grottammare, in the Papal States, to Pier Gentile (also known as Peretto Peretti), and Marianna da Frontillo. His family was poor. Felice later adopted Peretti as his family name in 1551, and was known as "Cardinal Montalto". He himself claimed that he was "nato di casa " — born of an illustrious (i.e., "shining") house.
According to the biographer and church historian Isidoro Gatti, the Peretti family came from Piceno, today's Marche, in Italy. Another possibility is that the Montalto name originates from his father having come from the village of that name, which is in fact near Peretti's village of Grottamare. Motoki Nomachi, however, holds that he was of Dalmatian Slavic origin, and according to Sava Nakićenović, he hailed from the Svilanović family from Kruševice in the Bay of Kotor. The theory that his family originated in Kruševice is supported by the fact that the Pope used three pears for his coat of arms (the toponym Kruševice is derived from kruška, "pear"). According to this theory, Peretti may be an Italian rendition of the Slavic surname, as Peretti itself links to pears (pere in Italian).
About 1552 he was noticed by Cardinal Rodolfo Pio da Carpi, Protector of the Franciscan order, Cardinal Ghislieri (later Pope Pius V) and Cardinal Caraffa (later Pope Paul IV), and from that time his advancement was assured. He was sent to Venice as inquisitor general, but was so severe and conducted matters in such a high-handed manner that he became embroiled in quarrels. The government asked for his recall in 1560.
...
Wikipedia