Pope Leo X

Pope Leo X, born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and leader of the Papal States from 1513 until his death in 1521. The second son of Lorenzo de' Medici of Florence, he was named a cardinal in 1489 at the age of 13. As pope he oversaw the closing sessions of the Fifth Council of the Lateran and in 1517 waged a costly war to secure his nephew as Duke of Urbino. His granting of indulgences for the rebuilding of St. Peter's Basilica was challenged by Martin Luther, whom his bull Exsurge Domine condemned in 1520. A great patron of the arts, he saw Raphael decorate the Vatican rooms.